Russia expels 10 US diplomats

MOSCOW

Russia announced on Wednesday that it was expelling 10 US diplomats.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said a diplomatic note with the list of the diplomats declared persona non grata had been handed to the deputy head of the US Embassy in Moscow.

The diplomats now have a month to leave Russia by the end of May 21, 2021, the ministry said.

"This measure is a 'mirror' response to the hostile actions of the American side against a number of employees of the Russian Embassy in Washington and the Russian Consulate General in New York, which were groundlessly declared 'persona non grata'," added the statement.

The ministry promised to announce further "response measures to the last wave of the illegal US sanctions against Russia."

On April 15, Washington announced fresh sanctions against Moscow -- two days after US officials suggested the two countries' leaders could hold a meeting.

The latest sanctions provided for the expulsion of 10 diplomats working at the Russian Embassy in Washington and a ban on US companies from directly acquiring Russian bonds issued after June 14, 2021 by the country's Central Bank, National Welfare Fund, or Finance Ministry.

Sixteen individuals and 16 organizations were slapped with restrictive measures over their alleged US presidential election interference.

The sanctions over additional allegations claiming that Russia encouraged Taliban attacks against US soldiers in Afghanistan were "handled through diplomatic, military and intelligence channels" because of the "sensitivity of this matter," according to an online fact sheet published by the White House.