Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said the decision by Washington to expel two Russian diplomats lacks justification and reflects poorly on American diplomacy, considering it a "banal revenge".

"I can confirm that, a few days ago, the US authorities took another confrontational step to declare two diplomats of the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., personae non gratae," he said.

"Surprising here is the fact that our colleagues in the State Department when handing over the note on expulsion, assured us - for some reason - that they had no intention to publicize this story and share details with the media," he added.

Antonov stated that much like previous occurrences, there has been a lack of transparency as they disregarded the fundamental principles of diplomatic dialogue, stressing that the Biden administration aims to demonstrate that the recent expulsion of American diplomats from Russia on charges of subversion will not go unanswered.

"It is noteworthy that at the meeting at the State Department, I asked my interlocutors to explain what exactly our comrades were accused of and I received no arguments," the Russian diplomat said.

He emphasized that if we consider the notion that the host country's authorities have no obligation to provide any explanation, then this is essentially a straightforward act of revenge. 

Antonov also cautioned the US authorities that any efforts by US Embassy staff in Moscow to compromise Russian national security would meet with an appropriate response.

"I would like to emphasize once again that the employees of the US Embassy in Moscow were found guilty of actions incompatible with diplomatic work. The expelled Americans were essentially interfering in internal affairs and attempting to undermine Russia's national security. Any actions of this kind will be firmly suppressed and will receive an appropriate response," he concluded.

The big picture

The US said last Friday that it was expelling two Russian diplomats in retaliation for Moscow's expulsion of two Americans last month.

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According to a State Department spokesperson, the US declared two Russian embassy officials in the US persona non grata in response to the Russian expulsion.

Russia expelled two US diplomats last month for communicating with Robert Shonov, a Russian citizen who formerly served at the US embassy in Vladivostok.

Shonov began working as a contractor following a prior decrease in diplomats, and the US claims he was employed for routine monitoring of publicly available Russian media.

Russia seized him in August on suspicion of passing on confidential information on Ukraine.

The spokesperson for the State Department declared it would not tolerate what he described as Russia's government "harassing" US diplomats.

"The Department's actions send a clear message that unacceptable actions against our embassy personnel in Moscow will have consequences."

The United States' decision to remove two Russian diplomats was confirmed to Sputnik on Friday by a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry, who described it as "unfounded".

“We can confirm Washington’s unfounded decision to expel Russian diplomats, using as a pretext the declaration of ‘persona non grata’ of two American diplomats engaged in espionage activities that were caught red-handed,” the source said, adding that Russia is not interested in escalation but will respond “if such hostile actions continue.”

In late September, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov reported that US-based companies are still interested in conducting business in the Russian markets despite Washington's pressure and media propaganda.

The Russian diplomat added that the US is trying to avoid responsibility for severing trade ties with Moscow, noting that Washington's sanctions are what led to the current state of business relations between the two countries.

Last month, during a conversation with The Atlantic, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a future meeting between presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin should not be ruled out.

"Look, never say never because ultimately what everyone wants, starting with the Ukrainians is a just and durable peace. So, let’s see if we ever get to this point when it is possible," he said.

He even confidently said the United States considers the post-Cold-War era to be over and has entered an intense competition to "shape what comes next."