US-Russia Relations: In the latest development reflecting deteriorating relations between the United States and Russia, two Russian diplomats were expelled from the U.S. This move came in response to Moscow’s prior order for the departure of two American diplomats, marking another episode in the ongoing cycle of tit-for-tat expulsions.
US expels Russian Embassy officials
This action was prompted by Russia’s earlier decision to expel two US diplomats, citing their alleged contact with a former consular employee accused of gathering sensitive information. The United States has categorically dismissed these allegations as unfounded. In a statement, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, “The Department will not tolerate the Russian government’s pattern of harassment of our diplomats.”
The Russian diplomats, whose identities remain undisclosed, were issued a seven-day notice to leave the United States. This duration mirrors the timeframe granted to US diplomats Jeffrey Sillin and David Bernstein, who were instructed to depart from Russia the previous month.
Sillin and Bernstein faced allegations of having contact with a former employee of the US consulate in Vladivostok, who subsequently admitted guilt in the gathering of confidential information. The ongoing pattern of reciprocal expulsions between Russia and the United States predates Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, highlighting the sustained strain in their bilateral relationship.
Russia had expelled US Diplomats
On September 14, Russia’s Foreign Ministry made accusations of “illegal activity” against Jeffrey Sillin, the first secretary at the US Embassy in Russia, and David Bernstein, the second secretary, subsequently telling them to leave the country within a seven-day timeframe. These expulsions transpire against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow, primarily from the conflict in Ukraine, and they reflect the significant deterioration of diplomatic relations, marking one of the lowest points since the Cold War era.
Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER
