Russia's 'reciprocal' retaliation would see four Canadian diplomats expelled
Lavrov says he will expel same number of foreign diplomats from Russia as Western nations have sent home
Russia has announced it is expelling 60 American diplomats in a retaliatory move against the U.S. that looks likely to include the expulsion of at least four Canadian diplomats as well.
The move comes after the United States, the EU and some NATO allies expelled 150 Russian diplomats in an act of solidarity with Britain after a former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned in the U.K. with a military grade nerve agent.
Russia denies having anything to do with the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury earlier this month.
That denial did not, however, stop the U.S. from kicking out 60 Russian diplomats and closing the Russian consulate in Seattle in an act of solidarity with the U.K., which has expelled 23 Russians diplomats from its territory.
Canada added to that total by expelling four diplomats and refusing to approve three applications for another three Russian diplomatic staff headed for Canada.
According to the Associated Press, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at news conference Thursday that Moscow will retaliate against each of those countries by expelling from Russia an equal number of their diplomats. That would mean the expulsion of four Canadian diplomats.
"The measures would be reciprocal ... They include expulsion of the equivalent number of diplomats and they include our decision to withdraw our agreement to allow the United States' general consulate to operate in St. Petersburg," Lavrov told reporters according to Reuters.
CBC News contacted the Russian embassy in Ottawa seeking confirmation that Canadian diplomats will be expelled, but it has yet to provide a response.
Tit-for-tat promise
And while there has been no specific announcement about Canada, Russia has already ejected 23 U.K. diplomats. Russia also confirmed it will remove 60 U.S. diplomats and is closing the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg in a tit-for-tat reprisal for the closure of the Seattle consulate.
The Russian Foreign Ministry told the Associated Press that the U.S. diplomats being expelled include 58 from the U.S. embassy in Moscow and two from the U.S. consulate in Yekaterinburg. The St. Petersburg consulate must be vacated by Saturday and all U.S. diplomats on the expulsion list have been given until April 5 to leave the country.
Britain has blamed the attack on the 66-year-old Skripal and his daughter on Russian President Vladimir Putin and has identified the weapon as a Soviet-era nerve agent called Novichok, which was left on the door of their home.
Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence who betrayed Russian agents to Britain and then was exchanged in a spy swap deal, is still in a critical condition from the attack.
His 33-year-old daughter was also in a critical condition, though the English hospital where she was being treated said on Thursday that her condition had improved.
CBC News contacted Global Affairs Canada to ask if Ottawa has been specifically informed about any Canadian expulsions but officials have yet to reply.
With files from The Associated Press and Reuters