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Top US Diplomat Bartle Gorman (2021)
Photo: Alexey Maishev / picture alliance/dpa/Sputnik
The Russian government has commented on the alleged reason for the expulsion of Deputy US Ambassador Bartle Gorman: It is a retaliatory measure for a previous expulsion of a high-ranking Russian diplomat from Washington, the State Department said.
The name of the diplomat concerned and the time of the expulsion were not mentioned.
"The American diplomat was ordered to leave Russia, but solely in response to the Council of Ministers' improper expulsion from our embassy in Washington, despite his status as a senior official," the ministry said.
Gorman's expulsion came amid tensions in the crisis in Eastern Europe.
But the decision has nothing to do with that, the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed.
Washington had reacted angrily to the expulsion of the top diplomat.
The US State Department said it was "for no reason" and represents a "step of escalation".
"We'll check our answer."
The New York Times quoted US officials as saying the move could make it more difficult to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Gorman was number two in the US Embassy after Ambassador John Sullivan.
According to the US, he had a valid visa and had been deployed to Russia for less than three years.
Sullivan remains in Moscow.
"We call on Russia to end its groundless expulsions of US diplomats and employees," the US State Department said.
"Now it's more important than ever that our countries have the necessary diplomatic personnel in place to facilitate communication between our governments." Both countries have long expelled diplomats from each other - a sign of deteriorating diplomatic relations.
as/Reuters
