LONDON, Feb 2 (KUNA) -- The United Kingdom summoned on Monday the Russian Ambassador to the country, Andre Kelin, for a meeting to revoke the accreditation of a Russian diplomat, a step taken in retaliation for the unprovoked expulsion of a British diplomat last month.
In a statement, the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) said, "We condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia's unprovoked and unjustified decision to expel a British diplomat last month and its baseless accusations against our staff." It went on to say, "Summoning the Russian Ambassador, a senior FCDO official made it clear that the UK will not stand for intimidation of British Embassy staff and so we are taking reciprocal action today, revoking the accreditation of a Russian diplomat." "It is deeply disappointing that Russia continually seeks to disrupt the work of the UK's diplomatic missions and deter our support for Ukraine. Any further action taken by Russia will be considered an escalation and responded to accordingly." Last month, a British diplomat, who was not identified, was expelled from Moscow on accusations of "spying" for British special services, according to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement and said, ""A strong protest was expressed regarding the information received by the Russian authorities about one of the diplomatic staff of the embassy being a member of the British special services." Russia warned the UK not to escalate the situation. The expelled diplomat was given two weeks to leave the country. (end) gta