cold war 2.0 on cards
US and EU punish Putin by expelling diplomats over nerve gas attack
WASHINGTON — The United States said on Monday it would expel 60 Russian diplomats, joining governments across Europe in taking action against the Kremlin for a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain that they have blamed on Moscow.
It was the toughest action that US President Donald Trump had taken against Russia since coming to office.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted that “Today’s extraordinary international response by our allies stands in history as the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers ever and will help defend our shared security.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May said the coordinated measures “clearly demonstrate that we all stand shoulder to shoulder in sending the strongest signal to Russia that it cannot continue to flout international law”.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry called the actions a “provocative gesture” and promised to respond.
Moscow has denied being behind the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the southern English city of Salisbury on March 4. The staff expelled by the United States included 12 intelligence officers from Russia’s mission to United Nations headquarters in New York. Trump also ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle.
“To the Russian government we say: when you attack our friends, you will face serious consequences,” a senior US administration official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
EU leaders last week said evidence of Russian involvement in the attack presented by Prime Minister May was a solid basis for further action. —
london — The expulsion of dozens of Russian diplomats from 18 countries after the poisoning of a former double agent in Britain this month are a message against Russian “attempts to flout international law”, British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday.
“I have found great solidarity from our friends and partners in the EU, Nato, America and beyond... Together, we have sent a message that we will not tolerate Russia’s continue attempts to flout international law and undermine our values,” she told parliament.
The United States and more than a dozen European nations kicked out Russian diplomats on Monday and the Trump administration ordered Russia’s consulate in Seattle to close, as the West sought joint punishment for Moscow’s alleged role in poisoning an ex-spy in Britain.
Warning of an “unacceptably high” number of Russian spies in the US, the Trump administration said 60 diplomats would be expelled — all Russian intelligence agents working under diplomatic cover, the US said. The group includes a dozen posted to Russia’s mission to the United Nations who the officials said were engaged in “aggressive collection” of intelligence on American soil.
The move was one of the most significant actions President Donald Trump’s administration has taken to date to punish Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin, especially over its intelligence activities. The American penalties were echoed by announcements in European capitals across the continent, including those in Russia’s backyard.
Fourteen European Union nations were expelling Russian diplomats, EU chief Donald Tusk said, with more likely to follow. An EU official put the total from those countries at more than 30 Russians. Germany,
The expulsions came with a chorus of condemnation for the Kremlin — for the poisoning, Russian spying and other Western grievances. Poland’s Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz called it “the right response to the unfriendly, aggressive actions of Russia.” In the Czech Republic, where Russian officials have claimed the poison may have originated, Prime Minister Andrej Babis dismissed that allegation as “an utter lie.”
“The United States and many of our friends are sending a clear message that we will not stand for Russia’s misconduct,” said US Ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump’s envoy to the UN.
Russia’s Embassy in Washington responded to the decisions on Twitter by hinting at retaliation, asking its followers to vote which US consulate should be shuttered: St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg or Vladivostok.
In Washington, Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, was summoned early Friday to the State Department and told that the 60 diplomats would have one week to leave the country, a State Department official said. Antonov was later quoted by Russian news wire Tass as saying he “expressed resolute protest to the “illegal actions” and emphasised there’s no proof of Russian involvement in the poisoning.
Russia’s Consulate General in Seattle must close by April 2. The facility is a particular counter-intelligence concern to the US because of its proximity to a US Navy base, said the senior US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to be identified by name.
The US actions appeared to signal an increased level of concern about the extent of Russian spying in the United States. —
The United States and many of our friends are sending a clear message that we will not stand for Russia’s misconduct Nikki Haley, US Ambassador
The response will be symmetrical. We will work on it in the coming days and will respond to every country in turn Russia Foreign Ministry source