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Fourteen countries of the European Union (EU) have decided to expel Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy and his daughter in Salisbury (United Kingdom), announced today the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk.
"Today fourteen Member States have decided to expel Russian diplomats as a direct result of the Council's discussions last week on the Salisbury attack, and additional measures, including more expulsions, are not excluded in the coming days or weeks," Tusk said on Twitter. .
Tusk recalled that on Thursday the EU leaders, gathered at a summit, expressed their support for the United Kingdom, noting that it is "highly probable" that Russia is responsible for the attack and that "there is no other plausible explanation" for it. , while they decided to call their ambassador in Moscow for consultations.
"We continue to be critical of the actions of the Russian government," Tusk told reporters on Tuesday before a meeting in Varna, Bulgaria, between the EU leadership and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The EU president did not disclose the specific countries that have decided to expel Russian diplomats, but in the last hours some member states have already announced these measures.
France's Foreign Ministry said it will expel four Russian diplomats, while Italy announced the expulsion of two, the Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Also the Danish prime minister, the liberal Lars Løkke Rasmussen, indicated that his country plans to expel two Russian diplomats in response to the attack in Salisbury.
For its part, the Government of the United States ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian officials and the closure of the Russian consulate in the city of Seattle (Washington).
Chronicles of Monte Friesner - Financial Crime Analyst 
Contributed by Andrei Slavenkov (Netherlands) - Investigating Analyst
