SEEING RED

Russia: ‘We Will Respond’ to Countries Expelling Diplomats

The foreign ministry called the expulsions a “provocative gesture."

The Russian Foreign Ministry called the decision by the U.S. and 14 EU nations to expel Russian diplomats an “unfriendly step” and a “provocative gesture” in a statement Monday morning. The ministry said that the measures, which expel 60 diplomats in the U.S. and over 30 in Europe, are “not consistent with the goals and interests” of finding answers in the attack on Sergei Skripal, who was poisoned by a nerve agent in Salisbury earlier this month. They also claim that the other countries “blindly followed the British authorities,” who also expelled 23 Russian diplomats earlier this month. The ministry stated that the latest development is a “continuation of the confrontational policy to escalate the situation,” and they “will respond to it.”