Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that the U.S. and Europe are on a course towards confrontation with Moscow, after the EU and the Trump administration ordered dozens of diplomats be expelled.
The countries determined that Russia played a part in the poisoning on of a Russian spy on U.K. soil. The Kremlin, however, denies any involvement and said the expulsions won’t go unanswered.
CGTN’s Dan Ashby reports.
As President Putin met with the Emir of Qatar to improve relations, he was about to be presented with his biggest diplomatic crisis yet.
Dozens of Russian diplomats expelled from the U.S. and EU, in response to the poisoning of the former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter on British soil. An attack Moscow says it knew nothing about. The United States administration alone is kicking out 60.
“What the United States of America is doing today. They are destroying what little remained of United States Russian ties. I would add that all the responsibility for ruining Russian American relations is on the United States of America.”, said Anatoly Antonov the Russian ambassador to the United States.
The President’s spokesman hinted at reciprocal measures to come.
“The main analysis will be conducted in our foreign ministry. And after the president will be presented with suggestions on retaliatory steps. The final decision will be made by the head of the Russian state,” Dmitri Peskov, Russian presidential spokesman said.
After his expected landslide win of a fourth term, President Putin said he wanted to improve relations with countries but now his government is deciding how best to retaliate.