The
Russian government has threatened retaliation over one of the largest
mass expulsions of its diplomats in history, after more than 20 countries backed action by the United Kingdom over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury.
According to Russian state media Tass, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the government “deeply regretted” the US’s decision to expel their diplomats,
and would analyze the situation before submitting a proposal for
retaliatory action to Russian President Vladimir Putin to approve.
“We
already stated and reconfirm that Russia has never had any relation to
this (poisoning). We will be guided by the principle of reciprocity as
before,” Peskov said.
The
United States announced Monday it would be expelling 60 Russian
diplomats and closing the consulate in Seattle, President Donald Trump’s
toughest diplomatic move against Moscow since he took office in 2017.
When the Obama administration expelled
35 diplomats over Russian meddling in the 2016 election, the Russian
government told the United States to cut its diplomatic staff inside Russia by 755.
Peskov
told Tass the Foreign Ministry would submit possible retaliatory
measures to President Vladimir Putin for consideration, saying any final
decision would lie with the Russian leader.
In
response to the latest expulsion of diplomats, Russia’s United Nations
representative Vasily Nebenzia accused the United States of “abusing its
rights and obligations” as the host of the UN General Assembly,
according to Tass.
Nebenzia said the expulsion of diplomats by the United States would hamper Moscow’s efforts at the international body.
“Of course this is a blow to our mission, but I think we’ll mobilize,” Nebenzia told Tass.
May said no fewer than 100 Russians in total had been expelled from 18 countries by the time May had spoken in parliament in London on Monday.
Britain itself expelled 23 diplomats earlier this month.
Earlier Monday, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter that “Russia cannot break international rules with impunity.”