In retaliation, Russia will expel US diplomats

            Russia has said that it will expel a number of US diplomats in retaliation for the US decision to expel 12 Russian diplomats.

Last month, Washington said that it was removing Russian diplomats from the country’s UN mission in New York due to national security concerns, and it subsequently stated that it would eject another Russian from the UN who it alleged was a spy.

The Russian foreign ministry summoned US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan on Monday to protest President Joe Biden’s designation of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “war criminal”.

Later, a State Department spokesman acknowledged that they had “received a list of diplomats declared ‘persona non grata’ from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 23”.

Persona non grata is a word used to describe someone who is no longer acceptable or welcomed.

The directive does not specify how many US diplomats would be impacted or when they will be removed from Russia.