Russia to expel US diplomats in tit-for-tat move

TASS news agency reports that the move comes after the US expelled 12 Russian diplomats from the UN mission in New York.

Russia says it will expel an unspecified number of US diplomats in retaliation for Washington’s move to remove 12 of Moscow’s New York-based representatives to the United Nations, Russian state-media has reported.

“On March 23, a note with the list of the American diplomats declared ‘persona non grata’ was handed to the head of the American diplomatic mission who was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the TASS news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the ministry.

“The US side has been given firm notice that any hostile action by the United States against Russia will be met with a resolute and appropriate response,” read the statement.

The decision was taken in response to Washington’s expulsion of 12 Russian diplomats at the UN, it added.

On February 28, the US announced its decision to expel the diplomats over national security concerns, describing them as “intelligence operatives”.

The Russian move is the latest blow to the fast-deteriorating ties between Washington and Moscow, a bond that has been increasingly stretched since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to invade Ukraine on February 24.