The Russian Foreign Ministry has announced the expulsion of 34 French diplomats and 27 Spanish diplomats from the country, who have been declared "persona non grante" (undesirable personalities) by Moscow authorities. The move is in response to the April expulsion of 41 Russian diplomats from France on suspicion of spying for the Kremlin.
A statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry said: "On May 18, the Ambassador of the French Republic, Pierre Levy, was summoned to protest the provocative and unjustified decision of the French authorities to declare the expulsion of 41 employees of Russian diplomatic institutions in France. "In the Moscow-Paris relationship and the continuation of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. In response to the French move, 34 employees of French diplomatic institutions in Russia were declared undesirable and were ordered to leave Russia within two weeks of the announcement to the ambassador."
Plots: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Bogdanov (right) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Photo: IPA
"Unreasonable move"
France responded to the expulsion of diplomats by Moscow, saying: "We are sorry for Russia's decision, this is an unreasonable step. The decision of the Russian authorities was made without a legal basis and we can only regret it."
As you may recall, French President Emanuel Macron led the European mediation efforts against Moscow when Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February this year.
Macron's efforts did not bear fruit and talks reached a dead end, which has led to an increase in France's open military support for Ukraine in recent weeks.
Tensions between Russia and Europe have risen sharply in the past two weeks, following the announcement by Finland and Sweden of their desire to join NATO and the start of the official accession process. The Finnish House of Representatives announced today (Wednesday) Eight opponents.
The request will be officially submitted together with Sweden at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson announced at a joint press conference alongside Finnish President Sauli Ninista, after their meeting in Stockholm.
Vigilance in Europe: Prime Minister of Sweden Anderson, President of Russia Putin and Prime Minister of Finland Marin, Photo: Reuters, AFP
27 Spanish diplomats will be deported
Meanwhile, Russian authorities have informed 27 members of the diplomatic staff at the Spanish embassy in Moscow and staff at the Spanish consulate in St. Petersburg that the Kremlin has declared them a "persona non grata" and must leave the country within a week, starting today.
As you may recall, on April 5, the Spanish government announced the expulsion of 25 Russian diplomats from the embassy in Madrid on the grounds of "danger to national security."
The Kremlin then promised a sharp response to the move.
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