The US and EU have expelled dozens of Russian diplomats in
response to the nerve agent attack in the UK.
The US has ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian officials who
Washington says are spies, including a dozen based at the United
Nations.
EU members Germany, France and Poland are each to expel four
Russian diplomats with intelligence agency
backgrounds. Lithuania and the Czech Republic said they would
expel three with Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands expelling two
each.
Ukraine, which is not an EU member, is to expel 13 Russian
diplomats and Canada four.
The UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats in the wake
of the poisoning, and Russia responded by ejecting the same number of British
diplomats.
Russia promised it would take reciprocal action against
Washington. It said the UK had not presented a single fact proving
that Moscow was behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.
The Russian consulate in Seattle is also being closed as part of
the US’s package of punitive measures. A senior US official said
that the consulate closure and the expulsions would be carried out
“in solidarity with our closest allies” in reaction to what he said
was “a reckless attempt by the [Russian] government to murder a
British citizen and his daughter with a military grade nerve
agent”.
A second official said the measures were also intended as a
response to a “steady drumbeat of destabilising and aggressive
actions” by Moscow against the US and its allies.
The officials being expelled from the US include 48 in the
Russian embassy in Washington and 12 at the Russian mission at the
UN, who the US say are spies, engaged in “aggressive collection
here in the US”.
US officials said that the spies at the UN were abusing their
residence privileges under the UN headquarters agreement. They
added that there were over 100 Russian spies in the US and the
expulsions would significantly reduce Russian espionage
capabilities in the country. The expelled Russians have seven days
to leave the country.
“With these steps, the United States and our allies and partners
make clear to Russia that its actions have consequences,” the White
House said in a written statement. “The United States stands ready
to cooperate to build a better relationship with Russia, but this can only happen with a change in the
Russian government’s behaviour.”
However, Donald Trump did not comment himself on Twitter, his
usual form of expression on issues he feels strongly about. At the
time officials were briefing reporters about the US measures, the
president put out a tweet saying: “So much Fake News. Never been
more voluminous or more inaccurate. But through it all, our country
is doing great!”
It was not clear what reports Trump was responding to, but the
tweet came at a time when a porn star, Stormy Daniels, was
dominating national headlines with her latest interview about an
affair she said she had with Trump, and the pressure she came under
to cover up the relationship.
While other members of his administration have spoken out
strongly against Russia, in particular for its interference in the
2016 US election, Trump has avoided saying or tweeting anything
critical of the Kremlin, and congratulated Putin on winning an
election generally seen as unfree and unfair.
White House officials had initially been reluctant to attribute
direct blame to Moscow, in the days following the Skripal attack,
but a senior administration official said on Monday that the nature
of the Russian response to UK allegations held led to the
definitive US conclusion that the Kremlin was responsible.
“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, noting that Moscow had put out a series
of conflicting stories and attempted to put the blame on others,
including the US.
EU heads of state concluded last week that it was highly
likely the Russian state was responsible for the attack. The EU is
also looking at coordinated steps to rein back Russian hybrid
warfare.
The European Council president, Donald Tusk, said 14 EU states
had expelled Russian diplomats in response to the attack, adding
that “additional measures including further expulsions are not
excluded in coming days, weeks.”
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was expected to win the
support of her newly formed coalition government to take practical
action, even though over the weekend many prominent German
politicians called for a rapprochement with Russia, including a
suggestion that Putin be invited back to summits of the G7. Russia
was expelled from the premier assembly of western economies
following the annexation of Crimea in 2014, but still attends the
G20.
The divisions within the EU were highlighted by a split at the
top of the EU bureaucracy. Tusk said he was in no mood to
congratulate Putin on his re-election as Russian president, but the
commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, sent Putin a note of
strong congratulations.
The EU called its ambassador to Moscow for consultations over
the weekend.
The UK defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, visiting British
troops in Estonia, said the backing for Britain was in “itself a
defeat for President Putin”.
Theresa May will report back to MPs on Monday on her efforts to
garner international support for an uncompromising approach to
Russia. On Wednesday, the House of Commons foreign affairs select
committee will hold a special evidence session designed to consider
what further steps the government could take to restrict the
movement of Putin-linked Russian money in London.
In an attempt to stave off diplomatic expulsions in the US, the
Russian embassy in Washington urged the Americans to rein in
Downing Street. “In these days, a younger partner needs inspiration
and help from over the ocean based on wise restraint,” the embassy
said.
Culled From theguardian.com
The US and EU have expelled dozens of Russian diplomats in
response to the nerve agent attack in the UK.
The US has ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian officials who
Washington says are spies, including a dozen based at the United
Nations.
EU members Germany, France and Poland are each to expel four
Russian diplomats with intelligence agency
backgrounds. Lithuania and the Czech Republic said they would
expel three with Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands expelling two
each.
Ukraine, which is not an EU member, is to expel 13 Russian
diplomats and Canada four.
The UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats in the wake
of the poisoning, and Russia responded by ejecting the same number of British
diplomats.
Russia promised it would take reciprocal action against
Washington. It said the UK had not presented a single fact proving
that Moscow was behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.
The Russian consulate in Seattle is also being closed as part of
the US’s package of punitive measures. A senior US official said
that the consulate closure and the expulsions would be carried out
“in solidarity with our closest allies” in reaction to what he said
was “a reckless attempt by the [Russian] government to murder a
British citizen and his daughter with a military grade nerve
agent”.
A second official said the measures were also intended as a
response to a “steady drumbeat of destabilising and aggressive
actions” by Moscow against the US and its allies.
The officials being expelled from the US include 48 in the
Russian embassy in Washington and 12 at the Russian mission at the
UN, who the US say are spies, engaged in “aggressive collection
here in the US”.
US officials said that the spies at the UN were abusing their
residence privileges under the UN headquarters agreement. They
added that there were over 100 Russian spies in the US and the
expulsions would significantly reduce Russian espionage
capabilities in the country. The expelled Russians have seven days
to leave the country.
“With these steps, the United States and our allies and partners
make clear to Russia that its actions have consequences,” the White
House said in a written statement. “The United States stands ready
to cooperate to build a better relationship with Russia, but this can only happen with a change in the
Russian government’s behaviour.”
However, Donald Trump did not comment himself on Twitter, his
usual form of expression on issues he feels strongly about. At the
time officials were briefing reporters about the US measures, the
president put out a tweet saying: “So much Fake News. Never been
more voluminous or more inaccurate. But through it all, our country
is doing great!”
It was not clear what reports Trump was responding to, but the
tweet came at a time when a porn star, Stormy Daniels, was
dominating national headlines with her latest interview about an
affair she said she had with Trump, and the pressure she came under
to cover up the relationship.
While other members of his administration have spoken out
strongly against Russia, in particular for its interference in the
2016 US election, Trump has avoided saying or tweeting anything
critical of the Kremlin, and congratulated Putin on winning an
election generally seen as unfree and unfair.
White House officials had initially been reluctant to attribute
direct blame to Moscow, in the days following the Skripal attack,
but a senior administration official said on Monday that the nature
of the Russian response to UK allegations held led to the
definitive US conclusion that the Kremlin was responsible.
“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, noting that Moscow had put out a series
of conflicting stories and attempted to put the blame on others,
including the US.
EU heads of state concluded last week that it was highly
likely the Russian state was responsible for the attack. The EU is
also looking at coordinated steps to rein back Russian hybrid
warfare.
The European Council president, Donald Tusk, said 14 EU states
had expelled Russian diplomats in response to the attack, adding
that “additional measures including further expulsions are not
excluded in coming days, weeks.”
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was expected to win the
support of her newly formed coalition government to take practical
action, even though over the weekend many prominent German
politicians called for a rapprochement with Russia, including a
suggestion that Putin be invited back to summits of the G7. Russia
was expelled from the premier assembly of western economies
following the annexation of Crimea in 2014, but still attends the
G20.
The divisions within the EU were highlighted by a split at the
top of the EU bureaucracy. Tusk said he was in no mood to
congratulate Putin on his re-election as Russian president, but the
commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, sent Putin a note of
strong congratulations.
The EU called its ambassador to Moscow for consultations over
the weekend.
The UK defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, visiting British
troops in Estonia, said the backing for Britain was in “itself a
defeat for President Putin”.
Theresa May will report back to MPs on Monday on her efforts to
garner international support for an uncompromising approach to
Russia. On Wednesday, the House of Commons foreign affairs select
committee will hold a special evidence session designed to consider
what further steps the government could take to restrict the
movement of Putin-linked Russian money in London.
In an attempt to stave off diplomatic expulsions in the US, the
Russian embassy in Washington urged the Americans to rein in
Downing Street. “In these days, a younger partner needs inspiration
and help from over the ocean based on wise restraint,” the embassy
said.
Culled From theguardian.com
Read more https://nairalaw.com/france-orders-russian-diplomats-to-leave/