Three European countries have expelled Russian diplomats in response to the expulsion of European Union (EU) officials who were part of a delegation in Moscow led by Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative.
The Guardian reported on Monday that German, Polish and Swedish officials had moved to expel a Russian diplomat from each of their respective nations in response to the removal of three EU officials from Moscow, he said he had taken part in demonstrations. anti-government activists in support of Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned anti-Putin dissident.
Monday’s move was a “clear response to the unacceptable decision to expel a Swedish diplomat who was only exercising his functions,” said Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde, according to The Guardian.
The German foreign office told the newspaper that the German official expelled by Moscow last week “was carrying out its task of reporting on developments in situ legally,” while the German foreign office Poland added that it joined the effort “in accordance with the principle of reciprocity and in coordination with Germany and Sweden.”
Relations between the EU and Russia have continued to worsen in the weeks following Navalny poisoning and subsequent recovery at a German hospital. The Russian opposition leader has been detained since his return to his home country, while thousands of Russians have taken to the streets of Moscow to protest.
The Moscow foreign agency responded to the news on Monday at a press conference, calling the expulsions “unjustified and unfriendly” while adding that the expelled officials “were not the initiators of the collapse of relations.” , according to The Guardian.
The Biden administration has also strongly condemned the arrest of Navalny, which was one of several issues President Biden
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“I made it clear to President Putin, in a very different way than my predecessor, that the days of the United States moving to Russia’s aggressive actions — interfering with our elections, cyberattacks, poisoning its citizens — are over. “We will not hesitate to increase the cost of Russia and defend our vital interest and our people,” Biden told the State Department on Thursday.