Russia will kick out 18 employees of its European Union (EU) delegation. It is a counter-action against the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the EU.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on the 15th (local time) that it has designated 18 officials of the EU’s delegation to Moscow as “Persona Non Grata” (a diplomatic dodger), and that they should leave Russia as soon as possible.
Russia’s state-run TASS news agency said it stressed that it was a response to EU’s unfriendly measures.
The Foreign Ministry said it called in Marcus Eder, the EU’s representative in Russia, and strongly protested the EU’s designation of 19 Russian representative employees as diplomatic dodgers.
The Foreign Ministry claimed that the EU is continuously undermining the framework of bilateral dialogue and cooperation that it has built with Russia over the past decades.
“We regret Russia’s unfair and unfounded decision,” the EU spokesman said in a statement. “EU diplomats played a role fully in compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
The EU reiterated its call on Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine, stressing that it should “observe international rules and take a cooperative approach to international relations.”
Last week, the EU decided to ban Russian coal imports through its fifth round of sanctions against Russia. Sanctions begin in mid-August.
Major EU countries such as Germany and Italy say they should be cautious about related sanctions in consideration of their dependence on Russian oil and gas. On the other hand, some EU member states, including Lithuania, have banned Russian crude oil and gas on their own.
Another problem is that Russia may retaliate or take measures to divert energy supplies to Asia instead of Europe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already announced that he will diversify Russian energy exports to Asia against Western measures.
