– International media reports say The United States and 23 other countries have joined the mass expulsion of Russian alleged intelligence officers.
CNN says that according to British Prime Minister Theresa May, it's the biggest collective expulsion of alleged Russian intelligence officers in history.
Theresa May has told Vladimir Putin the Salisbury poisonings have “spectacularly backfired” after 24 countries joined with Britain to “dismantle” Russia’s worldwide spy network.
The Prime Minister vowed never to allow President Putin’s espionage machine to be rebuilt after the US and other Western allies announced the expulsion of more than 130 Russian intelligence officers.
According to The Telegraph, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered 60 suspected Russian spies to leave the US – including 12 from the United Nations in New York – while 16 EU countries and five other non-EU members also gave Russians notice to leave in the largest collective expulsion of Russian alleged intelligence officers in history.
The White House said Mr. Putin could no longer be in any doubt that “actions have consequences”.
The White House also announced the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle. It represents the most forceful action Trump has taken against Russia to date, according to CNN.
The international response to the Salisbury attacks, which follows Mrs. May’s decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats from London earlier last week, was described by experts as a “heavy blow” to Russian intelligence-gathering.
Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, reportedly said “additional measures” including more expulsions by more countries, could not be excluded in the “coming days and weeks.”
