Moscow: Russia has told the UK it must send home “just over 50” more of its diplomats in a worsening standoff with the West over the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain.

Russia has already retaliated in kind against Britain and ejected 23 UK diplomats over the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. London says Moscow stood behind the attack, something Russia denies.

British Ambassador Laurie Bristow was summoned again on Friday and told London had one month to cut its diplomatic contingent in Russia to the same size as the Russian mission in Britain.

On Saturday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Reuters that meant Britain would have to cut “a little over 50” of its diplomats in Russia.

“We asked for parity. The Brits have 50 diplomats more than the Russians,” said Zakharova.

When asked if that meant London would have to bring home exactly 50 diplomats, she said: “A little over 50.” Reuters</s>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia expelled 59 diplomats from 23 countries on Friday and said it reserved the right to take action against four other nations in a worsening standoff with the West over the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain.

Russia said it was responding to what it called the baseless demands for scores of its own diplomats to leave a slew of mostly Western countries that have joined London and Washington in censuring Moscow over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

A day earlier, Moscow ordered the expulsion of 60 U.S. diplomats and the closing of the U.S. consulate in St Petersburg, Russia’s second city, in retaliation for the biggest ejection of diplomats since the Cold War.

Preparations appeared to be under way on Friday to close the St Petersburg mission down, with a removals truck making repeated journeys to and from the consulate which took delivery of a large pizza order for its staff.

Russia summoned senior envoys on Friday from most of the other countries that have expelled Russian diplomats and told them it was expelling a commensurate number of theirs.

Russia has already retaliated in kind against Britain for ejecting 23 diplomats over the first known use of a military-grade nerve agent on European soil since World War Two. British ambassador Laurie Bristow was summoned again on Friday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Bristow had been told London had just one month to cut its diplomatic contingent in Russia to the same size as the Russian mission in Britain.

A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office did not say how many British diplomats would be affected, but said Russia’s response was regrettable and Moscow was in flagrant breach of international law over the killing of the former spy.

The poisoning, in southern England, has united much of the West in taking action against what it regards as the hostile policies of President Vladimir Putin. This includes the United States under President Donald Trump, who Putin had hoped would improve ties.

Russia rejects Britain’s accusation it stood behind the attack and has cast the allegations as part of an elaborate Western plot to sabotage East-West relations and isolate Moscow.

The hospital where she is being treated said on Thursday that Yulia Skripal was getting better after spending three weeks in a critical condition due to the nerve toxin attack. Her father remains in a critical but stable condition.

The BBC, citing sources, reported on Friday that Yulia was “conscious and talking”.

During the course of Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned senior embassy officials from Australia, Albania, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Croatia, Ukraine, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Canada and the Czech Republic.

All were seen arriving in their official cars at the Foreign Ministry’s gothic building in Moscow.

“They (the diplomats) were handed protest notes and told that in response to the unwarranted demands of the relevant states on expelling Russian diplomats ... that the Russian side declares the corresponding number of staff working in those countries’ embassies in the Russian Federation persona non grata,” the ministry said in a statement.

Four other countries — Belgium, Hungary, Georgia and Montenegro — had only “at the last moment” announced that they too were expelling Russian diplomats over the Skripal affair, and Moscow reserved the right to take retaliatory action against them too, it said.

Emerging from the Foreign Ministry building, German ambassador Rudiger von Fritsch said Russia had questions to answer about the poisoning of Skripal, but Berlin remained open to dialogue with Moscow.

The U.S State Department said after Russia announced the expulsions on Thursday evening that it reserved the right to respond further, saying the list of diplomats designated for expulsion by Russia showed Moscow was not interested in diplomacy.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in a conference call with reporters on Friday, disagreed with that assessment, saying that Putin still favoured mending ties with other countries, including with the United States.</s>ROME, March 30 (Reuters) - Russia on Friday gave two Italian diplomats a week to leave the country, Italy's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, amid an increasingly bitter standoff over a nerve attack against a former Russian spy living in England.

On Monday, Italy expelled two Russian diplomats in an expression of solidarity with NATO and European Union ally Britain.

Earlier on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned a slew of senior Western diplomats to set out the retaliatory measures it was taking with the West after numerous countries had expelled Russian diplomats. (Reporting by Steve Scherer)</s>Russia expelled 59 diplomats from 23 countries on Friday and said it reserved the right to take action against four other nations in a worsening standoff with the West over the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain.

Russia said it was responding to what it called the baseless demands for scores of its own diplomats to leave a slew of mostly Western countries that have joined London and Washington in censuring Moscow over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

A day earlier, Moscow ordered the expulsion of 60 U.S. diplomats and the closing of the U.S. consulate in St Petersburg, Russia's second city, in retaliation for the biggest ejection of diplomats since the Cold War.

Preparations appeared to be under way on Friday to close the St Petersburg mission down, with a removals truck making repeated journeys to and from the consulate which took delivery of a large pizza order for its staff.

Russia summoned senior envoys on Friday from most of the other countries that have expelled Russian diplomats and told them it was expelling a commensurate number of theirs.

Russia has already retaliated in kind against Britain for ejecting 23 diplomats over the first known use of a military-grade nerve agent on European soil since World War Two. British ambassador Laurie Bristow was summoned again on Friday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Bristow had been told London had just one month to cut its diplomatic contingent in Russia to the same size as the Russian mission in Britain.

A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office did not say how many British diplomats would be affected, but said Russia's response was regrettable and Moscow was in flagrant breach of international law over the killing of the former spy.

The poisoning, in southern England, has united much of the West in taking action against what it regards as the hostile policies of President Vladimir Putin. This includes the United States under President Donald Trump, who Putin had hoped would improve ties.

Russia rejects Britain's accusation it stood behind the attack and has cast the allegations as part of an elaborate Western plot to sabotage East-West relations and isolate Moscow.

The hospital where she is being treated said on Thursday that Yulia Skripal was getting better after spending three weeks in a critical condition due to the nerve toxin attack. Her father remains in a critical but stable condition.

The BBC, citing sources, reported on Friday that Yulia was"conscious and talking".

During the course of Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned senior embassy officials from Australia, Albania, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Croatia, Ukraine, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Canada and the Czech Republic.

All were seen arriving in their official cars at the Foreign Ministry's gothic building in Moscow.

"They (the diplomats) were handed protest notes and told that in response to the unwarranted demands of the relevant states on expelling Russian diplomats ... that the Russian side declares the corresponding number of staff working in those countries' embassies in the Russian Federation persona non grata," the ministry said in a statement.

Four other countries -- Belgium, Hungary, Georgia and Montenegro -- had only "at the last moment" announced that they too were expelling Russian diplomats over the Skripal affair, and Moscow reserved the right to take retaliatory action against them too, it said.

Emerging from the Foreign Ministry building, German ambassador Rudiger von Fritsch said Russia had questions to answer about the poisoning of Skripal, but Berlin remained open to dialogue with Moscow.

The U.S State Department said after Russia announced the expulsions on Thursday evening that it reserved the right to respond further, saying the list of diplomats designated for expulsion by Russia showed Moscow was not interested in diplomacy.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in a conference call with reporters on Friday, disagreed with that assessment, saying that Putin still favoured mending ties with other countries, including with the United States.</s>March 30 (UPI) -- Ambassadors from 23 nations were summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday and told their diplomatic personnel would be expelled.

The number of personnel ordered to leave Russia, in most cases by April 5, is equivalent to the number of Moscow diplomats told to leave embassies in host nations this week.

The reciprocal expulsions involve 27 nations and Russia, and are in response to the March 4 poisoning of former Russian intelligence office Sergei Skripal and his adult daughter in Salisbury, Britain.

British and U.S. leaders have accused Moscow of responsibility for the use of what's believed to be a Russian-manufactured nerve gas against the two.

Friday's moves came after Russia expelled 60 U.S. diplomatic staff on Thursday.

"[We] summoned the heads of diplomatic missions from Australia, Albania, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Finland, France, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Estonia," a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "They were handed notes of protest and told that the Russian Federation declares persona non grata the relevant number of diplomats from these countries ... in response to their unjustified expulsions of Russian diplomats based on Britain's proof-free accusations of Russia related to the Skripal case."

The ministry said diplomats of Belgium, Hungary, Montenegro and Georgia -- nations that "decided to join" the expulsion "at the last minute" -- could similarly be affected.

Dutch Ambassador Renee Jones-Bos said she was told two diplomats would be expelled. Italy will lose two, Finland will lose one and the Czech Republic will lose three.

"This comes as no surprise," said German ambassador Heiko Maas, adding that Berlin "did not make a hasty decision to expel Russian diplomats."

Germany will lose four diplomats in Moscow.

"The Russian government has not answered any of the unresolved questions and has shown no willingness to play a constructive role in clarifying the circumstances of the attack," Maas said earlier. "We continue to call upon Russia to live up to its responsibility and to fulfill its obligation to investigate the attack."</s>Russia is kicking out more British diplomats as the international community unites against Moscow over alleged Russian involvement in the nerve agent attack on an ex-spy and his daughter on British soil, the Russian foreign ministry revealed Saturday.

The Russian foreign ministry summoned British Ambassador Laurie Bristow Friday to inform him that the U.K. must reduce its diplomatic presence in Russia by removing “a little over 50” diplomats and consular personnel.

These withdrawals are in addition to the 23 British diplomats who were expelled in retaliation after London kicked out the same number of Russian diplomats.

Russia explained that it will not allow Britain to have more diplomatic personnel in Russia than the latter has serving in the U.K.

Sergei Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer, and his daughter Yulia are in critical condition after a nerve agent attack earlier this month in Salisbury, England.

The substance used in the attack was Novichok, a deadly Cold War-era chemical weapon developed by the Soviet Union.

The details of the case indicate that Russia may have been behind the attack.

Russia has denied any involvement in the apparent hit on the ex-spy, but the incident brings back memories of the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Federal Security Service officer who fled to the U.K. and became a critic of the Russian government.

He was assassinated in 2006 in the U.K. with polonium, a rare radioactive isotope.

While Russian denies killing Litvinenko, the evidence against the Kremlin in this particular case suggests that Moscow was behind the noticeably abnormal death.

After Britain began expelling Russian diplomats over the latest incident, nearly 30 other countries followed suit.

The U.S. expelled 60 Russian diplomats and shuttered the Russian consulate in Seattle.

Moscow announced Thursday that it was sending 60 American diplomats home and closing the American consulate in St. Petersburg.

It also expelled 59 diplomats from 23 other countries that supported the U.K. in its campaign against Russia.

The tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats and closing of consulates appears to have no immediate end in sight as Moscow remains a suspect in the nerve attack on the Skripals and tensions continue to rise.

A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>Russia is kicking out more British diplomats as the international community unites against Moscow over alleged Russian involvement in the nerve agent attack on an ex-spy and his daughter on British soil, the Russian foreign ministry revealed Saturday.

The Russian foreign ministry summoned British Ambassador Laurie Bristow Friday to inform him that the U.K. must reduce its diplomatic presence in Russia by removing “a little over 50” diplomats and consular personnel.

These withdrawals are in addition to the 23 British diplomats who were expelled in retaliation after London kicked out the same number of Russian diplomats.

Russia explained that it will not allow Britain to have more diplomatic personnel in Russia than the latter has serving in the U.K.

Sergei Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer, and his daughter Yulia are in critical condition after a nerve agent attack earlier this month in Salisbury, England.

The substance used in the attack was Novichok, a deadly Cold War-era chemical weapon developed by the Soviet Union.

The details of the case indicate that Russia may have been behind the attack.

Russia has denied any involvement in the apparent hit on the ex-spy, but the incident brings back memories of the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Federal Security Service officer who fled to the U.K. and became a critic of the Russian government.

He was assassinated in 2006 in the U.K. with polonium, a rare radioactive isotope.

While Russian denies killing Litvinenko, the evidence against the Kremlin in this particular case suggests that Moscow was behind the noticeably abnormal death.

After Britain began expelling Russian diplomats over the latest incident, nearly 30 other countries followed suit.

The U.S. expelled 60 Russian diplomats and shuttered the Russian consulate in Seattle.

Moscow announced Thursday that it was sending 60 American diplomats home and closing the American consulate in St. Petersburg.

It also expelled 59 diplomats from 23 other countries that supported the U.K. in its campaign against Russia.

The tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats and closing of consulates appears to have no immediate end in sight as Moscow remains a suspect in the nerve attack on the Skripals and tensions continue to rise.

A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>Russia has told Britain it must send home "just over 50" more of its diplomats in a worsening standoff with Western countries over the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in the UK.

The Kremlin has already retaliated in kind against Britain and ejected 23 British diplomats over the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. London says Moscow was behind the attack - an allegation Russia denies.

British Ambassador Laurie Bristow was summoned again on Friday to be told that London diplomats had one month to cut its diplomatic contingent in Russia to the same size as the Russian mission in Britain.

On Saturday, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the media that meant Britain would have to cut "a little over 50" of its diplomats in Russia.

"We asked for parity. The Brits have 50 diplomats more than the Russians," Zakharova said.

Russia on Friday expelled 59 diplomats from 23 countries in retaliation for the wave of ejections of Russian officials.

It came a day after Moscow ordered the expulsion of 60 US diplomats in response to a similar move by Washington earlier this week.

Russia on Thursday also revoked the permit for the US consulate in St Petersburg - meaning it must shut down - and issued a protest note to US Ambassador to Moscow Jon Huntsman regarding what it called "outrageous and unwarranted" diplomatic action against Russia.

Over the past few days, 25 European countries - along with the US, Canada, and Australia - expelled more than 120 Russian diplomats in a show of solidarity with the UK after the alleged attack.

NATO also announced seven officials working in the Russian mission to the alliance will have to leave.</s>Moscow will expel two Australian diplomats in retaliation for Canberra booting out two of its diplomats.

Australia's ambassador to Russia Peter Tesch was among the diplomats summoned to the Russian foreign ministry on Friday to be told of the expulsions.

The diplomatic mission in Moscow has 10 staff.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had announced two Russian spies had been given six days to leave Australia, in a show of solidarity with the UK over the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury.

In total, Russia will expel 59 diplomats from 23 countries following on the expulsion of 23 British and 60 American diplomats earlier in the week.</s>Russia is kicking out more British diplomats as the international community unites against Moscow over alleged Russian involvement in the nerve agent attack on an ex-spy and his daughter on British soil, the Russian foreign ministry revealed Saturday.

The Russian foreign ministry summoned British Ambassador Laurie Bristow Friday to inform him that the U.K. must reduce its diplomatic presence in Russia by removing “a little over 50” diplomats and consular personnel.

These withdrawals are in addition to the 23 British diplomats who were expelled in retaliation after London kicked out the same number of Russian diplomats.

Russia explained that it will not allow Britain to have more diplomatic personnel in Russia than the latter has serving in the U.K.

Sergei Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer, and his daughter Yulia are in critical condition after a nerve agent attack earlier this month in Salisbury, England.

The substance used in the attack was Novichok, a deadly Cold War-era chemical weapon developed by the Soviet Union.

The details of the case indicate that Russia may have been behind the attack.

Russia has denied any involvement in the apparent hit on the ex-spy, but the incident brings back memories of the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Federal Security Service officer who fled to the U.K. and became a critic of the Russian government.

He was assassinated in 2006 in the U.K. with polonium, a rare radioactive isotope.

While Russian denies killing Litvinenko, the evidence against the Kremlin in this particular case suggests that Moscow was behind the noticeably abnormal death.

After Britain began expelling Russian diplomats over the latest incident, nearly 30 other countries followed suit.

The U.S. expelled 60 Russian diplomats and shuttered the Russian consulate in Seattle.

Moscow announced Thursday that it was sending 60 American diplomats home and closing the American consulate in St. Petersburg.

It also expelled 59 diplomats from 23 other countries that supported the U.K. in its campaign against Russia.

The tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats and closing of consulates appears to have no immediate end in sight as Moscow remains a suspect in the nerve attack on the Skripals and tensions continue to rise.

A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.
The government of Russia expels 59 diplomats from 23 nations and may also take retaliatory action against four other countries.