NATO withdraws seven staff at Russian mission

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday said the alliance had withdrawn accreditation of seven staff at Russian mission to NATO, saying the maximum size of the mission has been reduced to 20 staff.

The decision means that Russia will have less capability to do intelligence work in NATO countries, he said.

The United States and its European allies on Monday expelled scores of Russian diplomats in a coordinated response with the UK against Moscow which they accuse of poisoning an ex-spy and his daughter on British soil.

Graphics: Countries that have expelled Russian diplomats in response to ex-Russian spy poisoning

Prime Minister Theresa May told senior ministers on Tuesday that there was still more to be done in Britain’s long-term response to Russia after blaming Moscow for the use of a nerve agent against a former Russian spy in England.

Moscow on Tuesday charged Washington had put "colossal pressure" on allies to expel scores of Russian diplomats, and vowed to retaliate.

"This is the result of colossal pressure, colossal blackmail which is the main instrument of Washington on the international arena," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Uzbekistan.

The Sergei Skripal poisoning case should be properly handled through dialogue between the UK and Russia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press conference on Tuesday.

(CGTN)