US expels two Russian diplomats in retaliation for Moscow’s move last month

The US has expelled two Russian diplomats from the Moscow embassy in Washington after the Kremlin government asked two Americans to leave last month. This has led to a tit-for-tat situation between the two opposing nations as relations continue to worsen.

Two Russian diplomats expelled

According to a State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, this expulsion comes as a response to Russia’s “specious expulsion of two US Embassy Moscow diplomats” last month.

“In response to the Russian Federation’s specious expulsion of two U.S. Embassy Moscow diplomats, the State Department reciprocated by declaring persona non grata two Russian Embassy officials operating in the United States,” Miller said.

“The Department will not tolerate the Russian government’s pattern of harassment of our diplomats,” he said, adding that “unacceptable actions against our Embassy personnel in Moscow will have consequences.”

Washington-Moscow relation

The Russian diplomats were given a time period of seven days to leave the country which is the same amount of time Moscow gave to the US diplomats, Jeffrey Sillin and David Bernstein. Both Sillin and Bernstein were asked to leave from Russia last month.

Russia and the US have engaged in a series of reciprocal expulsions dating to well before Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. With the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, the relations between the two have plunged to their worst point in 60 years.