Roundup: 14 EU nations expel Russian diplomats, Russia vows retaliation

SOFIA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- European Council President Donald Tusk announced Monday in Varna, Bulgaria, that 14 European Union (EU) member states had decided to expel Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain.

Tusk told reporters that the European Council last week condemned in the strongest possible terms the recent attack in Salisbury, and the European Council agreed with the British government's assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible and that there is no plausible alternative explanation.

Additional measures, including further expulsions within this common EU framework are not to be excluded in the coming days and weeks, Tusk added.

EXPULSIONS

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Monday the Netherlands would expel two Russian intelligence officers following a decision "in close consultation with allies and partners."

"The operation of the chemical weapon is also a serious risk to public health," said Rutte in a statement, "Such an attack cannot be tolerated, for any sovereign country."

On Monday, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz informed that Poland decided to recognize four Russian diplomats as persona non grata.

"It is an expression of Poland's solidarity with the United Kingdom, which has become the target of an unprecedented attack," Czaputowicz said, "a part of the wider reaction of the international community, including the EU and NATO."

The Czech Republic expelled three members of Russian diplomatic staff with Czech Prime Minster Andrej Babis saying Russia exceeded limits when it labeled the Czech Republic as a possible country of origin of the nerve poison Novichok that was used to attack on Skripal and his daughter in Britain.

Finland and Romania will both expel one Russian diplomat each while Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser on Monday announced the decision to expel a military attache of the Russian embassy.

Mikser also announced that he would make a proposal to the Estonian government to impose restrictive measures under the international sanctions act to deny 49 Russian individuals on the so-called Magnitsky List to enter Estonia.

CALL FOR DIALOGUE

Finland, despite its decision to expel one Russian diplomat, highlighted the need to continued dialogue with Russia.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said on Monday that resources should be now focused on mending the rift between east and west that appears to have widened now. Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila told a separate press conference on Monday that the decision was not easy for Finland.

Sipila said that Finland had not endorsed the expulsion at the European Council meeting end of last week, but the decision had been taken later. According to Sipila, this is not a European Council decision.

The call for dialogue was also heard from Germany, which decided to expel four Russian diplomats.

Germen Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said "we remain open to constructive dialogue with Russia, which remains necessary on many international issues".

RUSSIA'S RETALIATION VOW

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday that Russia "strongly protests" diplomats expulsion by the United States and 14 European countries over an ex-spy case, vowing to retaliate.

"We consider this step as unfriendly and not corresponding to the goal and wish to establish the causes and search for the perpetrators of the (ex-spy poisoning) incident on March 4," the ministry said in a statement.

It said the British authorities took a "prejudiced, biased and hypocritical stance." It denied Russia's involvement in the incident.

On March 4, former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench in a shopping center in the southern England city of Salisbury. They remain in a critical condition.

Britain claims they were exposed to a nerve agent and holds Russia responsible. The Russian government has denied any involvement in the incident.

Following the incident, Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats and announced freezing Russian state assets in Britain, suspension of all planned high-level bilateral contacts, and a boycott of this year's World Cup in Russia by ministers and royal family members. Moscow expelled an equal number of British diplomats in response.

Moscow, for its part, insists on direct participation in the investigation into the poisoning.

"Russia firmly insists on a comprehensive investigation of what has happened in Salisbury. We are ready to take a most active part in it," Vladimir Yermakov, head of the Department for Nonproliferation and Arms Control at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said at a briefing for foreign diplomats. Enditem