On Monday, the United States announced the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats, CBS News reports.This means that these diplomats have one week to leave the United States, and that the Russian consulate in Seattle will close.
Why are these diplomats expelled? The story begins on March 14, when Sergei Skripal, a former Russian double agent, and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned with a Russian-made nerve agent on British soil. According to USA Today, “the United States joined a joint statement with the U.K., France, and Germany blaming Russia for the Skripal attack.” Russia, however, denied any involvement.
In response, several countries across the world expelled their Russian diplomats, in what British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called “the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers ever.” The United States, Britain, Canada, Ukraine, Germany, France, and Poland are among the over a dozen countries that have expelled their diplomats.
Today’s extraordinary international response by our allies stands in history as the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers ever & will help defend our shared security. Russia cannot break international rules with impunity
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 26, 2018
The White House released a statement Monday morning stating, “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.”
US administration?? ordered the closure of the Russian Consulate in Seattle @GK_Seattle??. What US Consulate General would you close in @Russia, if it was up to you to decide
— Russia in USA ?? (@RusEmbUSA) March 26, 2018
Russia has retaliated by threatening via Twitter to shut down one of the US Consulates in Russia, and by expelling its British diplomats.