DHAKA: Sixty ‘diplomats’ have been ordered out of the US by President Donald Trump in the first move in an extraordinary international wave of punitive action against the Kremlin, reports Daily Express.
And 18 other countries, including 14 members of the EU, followed suit in sending Embassy officials home in the biggest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in history.
Theresa May welcomed the ‘great solidarity from our friends’ around the world in standing up to President Putin's regime.
"Together we have sent a message that we will not tolerate Russia’s continued attempts to flout international law and undermine our values," she said.
Putin's Government hit back by describing the expulsions as ‘a provocative gestures’ and hinted about a string of tit-for-tat reprisals.
The Russian foreign ministry said: "This provocative gesture of notorious solidarity with London, made by countries that preferred to follow in London's footsteps without bothering to look into other circumstances of the incident, merely continues the policy of escalating the confrontation."
Monday's expulsions follow a 10-day diplomatic blitz by Boris Johnson. The Foreign Secretary has been in contact with counterparts in allied governments around the world to explain the seriousness of the threat to world order posed by the Salisbury poisoning.
He hailed the "extraordinary international response by our allies" last night.
"Russia cannot break international rules with impunity," he added.
Canada, Ukraine, Albania, Norway, the US and 14 EU nations followed Britain's lead in taking action against suspected Russian spies.
The White House said: "Today's actions make the United States safer by reducing Russia's ability to spy on Americans and to conduct covert operations that threaten America's national security.
"With these steps, the United States and our allies and partners make clear to Russia that its actions have consequences."
In Moscow, President Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would respond to the expulsion on the "principle of reciprocity".
Russia has already ordered 23 British diplomats to leave in response to the expulsion of a similar number of undeclared Russian intelligence officers from the UK.
Officials promised a swift and most likely tit-for-tat response after the expulsion of Russian diplomats across Europe and North America on Monday in a show of solidarity from British allies that represents the biggest concerted blow to Russian intelligence networks since the cold war.
In an official communique, the Russian foreign ministry issued a “determined protest” to the expulsions and said it would respond to the “unfriendly act”.
BDST: 0854 HRS, MAR 27, 2018
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