US and EU expel Russian diplomats in response to Salisbury poisoning
The US has expelled 60 Russian diplomats and 12 European Union member states have coordinated a response against Moscow over the former spy poisoning in the UK.
The US ordered the expulsion of 60 diplomats who Washington claims are spies while in the EU, Germany, France and Poland each expelled four diplomats with intelligence agency backgrounds.
As they ordered the shutdown of the Russian consulate in Seattle, a US official said that it was "in solidarity with our closest allies as a response to a reckless attempt by the Russian government to murder a British citizen and his daughter with a military grade nerve agent."
Washington added that the expulsion of these diplomats would reduce Russia's espionage capabilities, explaining that the diplomats, who had been assigned to the UN, were abusing their privileges in the US.
They were given seven days to leave the country.
Germany's foreign minister said on Twitter that the decision had not been taken lightly and that Berlin had been forced to take action following the lack of any explanation from Moscow after the attack.
Other countries, like Lithuania are going to expel three diplomats and ban 44 Russian nationals from the country and in Ukraine they ordered the expulsion of a further 12 diplomats.
Russia warned that it would take the same action against the US since there is no proof Moscow is to blame for the poisoning of the former spy.
"Russia has had nearly a month to respond but instead of explaining has engaged in the usual obfuscation we have seen in the past," a US official said.