Western countries launch coordinated reaction over poisoning of ex-Russian spy in UK
Fourteen EU member states have expelled dozens of Russian diplomats in an orchestrated reaction Monday, over the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the U.K.
At least 43 Russian diplomats have been expelled across Europe so far.
"As a direct follow up to last week’s European Council decision to react to Russia within a common framework, already today 14 member states have decided to expel Russian diplomats," said President of the European Council Donald Tusk, who was in Bulgaria's Varna for an EU-Turkey Summit.
"The European Council agreed with the United Kingdom government's assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible and that there is no plausible alternative explanation. We decided to recall the EU Ambassador to Russia for consultations," he added.
Germany was one of the first to make the announcement as Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Berlin had "expelled four Russian diplomats”.
A French Foreign Ministry statement said they have “notified the Russian authorities of our decision to expel from the French territory four Russian personnel with diplomatic status, within one week.”
Poland said they were also expelling four Russians in the wake of the ex-spy poisoning row.
Denmark, the Netherlands, Latvia and Italy said they had expelled two diplomats each.
Lithuania and the Czech Republic made similar announcements to expel three. Meanwhile, Estonia, Croatia, Finland and Romania said they have asked one diplomat to leave.
Ukraine, as a non-EU country, joined the 14 states and expelled 13 Russian diplomats.
Tusk said that "additional measures, including further expulsions within this common EU framework are not to be excluded in the coming days and weeks".
The strong support from the EU countries, as well as Ukraine, the U.S. and Canada followed a European Council meeting held in Brussels this week.
Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were admitted to a hospital after being found unconscious in the southern English city of Salisbury.
“Mr. Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia,” specifically from the Novichok group, May said following the attack.
The incident has drawn comparisons to the 2006 death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko after drinking radioactive tea. Former KGB bodyguards identified as suspects in the murder denied any involvement.
Skripal was granted refuge in the U.K. following a 2010 spy exchange between the U.S. and Russia. Before the exchange, he was serving 13 years in prison for leaking information to British intelligence.
Russia missed a deadline by London to explain how a certain type of military-grade nerve agent was used in the attack.
“But their response has demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events,” May said.
The world-wide expulsion of Russian diplomats followed the departure of 23 Russian diplomats from the U.K. last week over the Salisbury incident.
