US expels two Russian diplomats
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The US announced the expulsion after Moscow expelled two Americans in September.
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The Russian Embassy is seen in Washington on February 22, 2022 (AP)
The US said on Friday that it was expelling two Russian diplomats in retaliation for Moscow's expulsion of two Americans last month.
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 again 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."
