Russia asks Britain to downsize diplomatic staff in retaliation

Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday asked Britain to downsize its diplomats stationed in Russia to the same level as Russia has in Britain within a month in retaliation to measures imposed following the poison attack in Britain.

The ministry summoned British Ambassador to Russia Laurie Bristow to be presented with a strong protest over "provocative and unjustified actions of the British side," according to a statement published by the ministry.

"The ambassador was informed that, in response, the British side should, within a month, by appropriate reductions of its personnel, bring the total number of employees of the British Embassy in Moscow and the British Consulate General in Russia into line with the number of Russian diplomats and administrative and technical staff on long-term missions in the UK," the statement said.

The move was part of retaliatory measures against Britain after it expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in the British city of Salisbury earlier in March.

More than two dozens countries announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats in the wake of the UK's move, including the United States.

According to Russian media, the ambassadors of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Poland, Italy, Greece, Croatia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, as well as representatives of the Ukrainian and Czech diplomatic missions were also summoned by the ministry to be informed of retaliatory measures.

(AISA PACIFIC DAILY)