14 EU states expelling Russian diplomats over UK spy attack

Poland, Germany and Lithuania are among the European countries announcing they are expelling Russian diplomats over the poisoning of Russian ex-spy in Britain.

Germany and Poland both say they have asked four Russian diplomats to leave, while in Lithuania, three Russian diplomats were ordered to leave.

The German foreign ministry says in a statement that the move was part of a joint European response to the Skripal case.

It says “the expulsion of four diplomats is a strong signal of solidarity with Great Britain and signals the resolve of the Germany government not to leave attacks against our closest partners and allies unanswered.”

The ministry adds that the move was also a response to the recent cyberattacks against German government networks, “which according to information so far is highly likely to be attributable to Russian sources.”

— AP