US envoys to be expelled

Russia also will close American consulate over Skripal case.

Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would expel 60 US diplomats and close its consulate in Saint Petersburg in a titfortat expulsion over the poisoning of exdouble agent Sergei Skripal.

Lavrov said the US ambassador had been informed of “retaliatory measures”, saying that “they include the expulsion of the equivalent number of diplomats and our decision to withdraw permission for the functioning of the US consulate general in Saint Petersburg”.

Washington earlier ordered the expulsion of 60 diplomats and shut down the Russian consulate general in Seattle.

Lavrov added that Russia would also issue titfortat responses to the other countries that have expelled diplomats in a mass show of support for Britain, which has blamed Moscow for the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a nerve agent in the city of Salisbury.

“As for the other countries, it’s also all symmetrical measures as to the number of people who will be leaving Russia from diplomatic missions,” Lavrov said.

He added that Russia was reacting to “absolutely unacceptable actions that are taken against us under very harsh pressure from the United States and Britain over the socalled Skripal case.”

He accused London of “forcing everyone to follow an antiRussian course”.

He said Britain had informed Moscow on the state of health of Yulia Skripal on Thursday and that Russia had asked again for access to her as a citizen.

Lavrov vowed at the briefing in Moscow that “we want to establish the truth” over the poisoning and accused Britain of “making mockery of international law”.

He said that Russia asked for a meeting with the executive council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on Tuesday to ask questions to “establish the truth”.

“We are counting on our Western partners not evading an honest conversation,” Lavrov said.