WARSAW: Six European countries once ruled by Moscow on Monday said they will expel Russian diplomats in solidarity with Britain over the poisoning of a former Russian spy.
The decision taken by the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is part of a coordinated response also involving other EU countries, Canada and the US.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Monday on his Facebook page: “In response to a cynical chemical attack in Salisbury, Ukraine, in the spirit of solidarity with our British partners and transatlantic allies and in coordination with EU countries, decided to expel 13 Russian diplomats from the few that remain (in Kiev).”
Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said Warsaw has declared four Russian diplomats persona non grata.
“The four Russian diplomats have until midnight on April 3 to leave Poland. The note with the four names has been handed to the Russian ambassador,” he told reporters.
His Lithuanian counterpart Linas Linkevicius told AFP that three Russian embassy officials were expelled “for activities incompatible with their diplomatic status.”
“A chemical weapon was used against civilians for the first time since the Second World War. The situation is special and demands a special response,” he added.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis told reporters that his country would expel three Russian diplomats.
Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser said the Baltic state has expelled the Russian embassy’s military attache, while Latvia’s foreign ministry said Riga has also expelled one Russian diplomat.
Slovakia’s foreign ministry meanwhile said it preferred, instead of expulsions, to look at “more options” after the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the British city of Salisbury.
