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Russian FM Sergey Lavrov has promised to retaliate to Western expulsion measures [PPIO]
A statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry called the European and US measures “prejudiced, biased and hypocritical”, and said Moscow will definitely respond.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump authorized the expulsion of 48 Russian embassy diplomats and 12 from the UN mission in New York. He also ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle.
Canada then ordered the expulsion of four diplomats.
By midday, the European Union said that 14 of its member states had also taken similar measures.
One of those countries, Finland, expelled one Russian diplomat but called on the EU to engage in dialogue with Moscow to “mend fences”. Germany also called for dialogue.
Russia has insisted that it wants international cooperation to investigate the alleged poisoning of the former spy.
“The Russian side, despite our repeated requests to London, has no information over the case. There’s no objective and exhaustive data on it at the disposal of the Britain’s allies, who blindly follow the principles of the Euro-Atlantic unity harming common sense, principles of civilized dialogue between states and international law. Naturally, such a hostile move on part of this group of countries won’t go unanswered,” the Ministry said.
Skripal and his daughter were found slumped unconscious on a bench in Salisbury, England. They have been hospitalized in critical condition since March 4.
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has told British media that his government has evidence that Moscow has been experimenting with nerve agents such as Novichok for the purpose of carrying out assassination attempts.
Russia has dismissed such accusations as flights of fancy and said that there are other countries who have since the 1980s shown interest in the manufacture and delivery of Novichok.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
