The UK will expel 23 Russian diplomats from the country after concluding that the Russian state is responsible for the attempted murder of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury.

This will be the single biggest expulsion of Russian diplomats in over 30 years, Prime Minister Theresa May said Wednesday. The 23 concerned, who May said had been identified as undeclared intelligence agents, will have only one week to leave.

"For those who seek to do us harm, my message is simple. You are not welcome here," she said in a statement to the House of Commons following a meeting of Britain's National Security Council.

The expulsion of diplomats will "fundamentally degrade" Russian intelligence capabilities in Britain for years, May said.

The Skripals are critically ill in hospital after being exposed to the nerve agent, known as Novichok and developed in Russia, on March 4. Thirty-eight other people in Salisbury were seen by medics after the exposure. One, a police officer, remains hospitalized.

May said Monday it was highly likely that Moscow was behind the poisoning. The Russian ambassador to the UK was summoned to the UK Foreign Office to explain whether the attack was directed by Russian authorities, or whether Moscow had lost control of the nerve agent.

She demanded that Moscow respond by midnight Tuesday, London time, to the UK government's conclusion that Russia was linked to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on a park bench in Salisbury in southern England.

But Moscow -- which has repeatedly dismissed any accusations of involvement in the attack -- ignored the deadline.

Addressing lawmakers Wednesday, May said it had been right to give Russia the opportunity to answer the allegations, "but their response has demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events."

The Russians had provided no credible explanation, she said, leading to "no alternative conclusion" other than that the Russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of the Skripals and for threatening the lives of other British citizens.

"This represents an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom," she said. "And as I set out on Monday it has taken place against the backdrop of a well-established pattern of Russian state aggression across Europe and beyond.

"It must therefore be met with a full and robust response -- beyond the actions we have already taken since the murder of Mr. Litvinenko and to counter this pattern of Russian aggression elsewhere," she added, referring to a different ex-Russian spy -- Alexander Litvinenko -- who was poisoned in London in 2006.

Britain has called for an "urgent meeting of the UN Security Council" to "update members on the investigation into the nerve agent attack in Salisbury," the UK Foreign Office tweeted.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier Wednesday that there had been no progress in his country's communications with Britain.

Speaking alongside his Turkish counterpart in Moscow, Lavrov accused UK authorities of "political theater" and trying to mislead the international community rather than submitting an official request to Russia in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention. Russia is ready to respond to an official request within 10 days, in line with its obligations, once it is made, Lavrov said.

Lavrov also said that Russia had no motive in targeting the specific individuals concerned and that all allegations were based on speculation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov similarly rejected "unfounded accusations" of Russian involvement in the attack as he spoke with reporters on a conference call.

"Moscow stands open to cooperation in the investigation of these events. Unfortunately, this is not reciprocated by the British," Peskov said, as he urged other countries to use their "common sense" as they consider whether there is any proof to the claims. </s> Russia will expel 23 British diplomats in a tit-for-tat reaction to Theresa May’s response to the nerve agent attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal.

The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it had ordered the diplomats to leave within a week, moments after Britain’s ambassador to Russia Laurie Bristow left the ministry in Moscow.

Other measures included closing the British Council and scrapping an agreement to reopen the British consulate in St Petersburg, while the country indicated it could take further action should there be what it called more “unfriendly” moves, the Associated Press reported.

Mr Bristow, speaking to reporters after being summoned, said the UK would “always do what is necessary to defend ourselves, our allies and our values against an attack of this sort”.

It comes after NHS England said Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, the police officer exposed to the Novichok agent in Salisbury, is no longer in a critical condition.

But Mr Skripal, 66, the Russian ex-spy who was the target of the attack, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remain critical but stable in hospital.

Russia has opened its own criminal investigation into the attempted murder of Yulia, a Russian citizen, and also Nikolai Glushkov, a Russian exile Scotland Yard said died from “compression to the neck” at his home in New Malden, south-west London.

British police are not linking his case with the Salisbury attack.

Speaking to the Russian state-funded RT television network, the ambassador denounced Britain’s decision to expel 23 diplomats as “unacceptable and unjustified”.

Sunday is set to mark two weeks since the incident. </s> President Donald Trump is weighing a recommendation from his National Security Council that he expel a group of Russian diplomats from the US in response to the poisonings of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in England, a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

It is believed that the US had been waiting to see what members of the European Council would do, a source with knowledge of the discussions said, and on Friday, 10 European countries announced they would follow the United Kingdom’s lead by also expelling Russian diplomats.

Germany, France, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Czech, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Ireland and several others will “likely” expel the Russians on Monday, a senior foreign diplomat told CNN.

The United Kingdom ordered 23 Russian diplomats back to Moscow last week after the country concluded that Russia was responsible for the poisonings.

The National Security Council’s recommendation to Trump, made on Friday, comes after a high-level meeting at the White House on Wednesday in which the council drew up a range of options to take action against Russia, according to multiple State Department officials and a source familiar with the discussion.

Ultimately, the outcome of that meeting was a recommendation that Trump should expel more Russian diplomats from the US — an option several sources told CNN was the most severe response under consideration.

Trump could act on the recommendation as early as Monday, one source familiar with the decision said.

Prior to Wednesday’s meeting, one State Department source told CNN the move would be considered a “very serious step,” especially given the last round of tit-for-tat expulsions that have left both Russia and the US with significantly smaller diplomatic forces in each other’s countries.

On Tuesday, one senior State Department official, speaking on background, supported the UK’s own decision to kick out 23 Russian diplomats: “We stand in solidarity with our Allies in the United Kingdom, and we fully supported the UK’s decision to expel diplomats and take other actions to respond. The United States is considering a range of options to respond to this outrageous incident, both to demonstrate our solidarity with our Ally and to hold Russia accountable for its clear breach of international norms and agreements.”

Russia and the UK have been embroiled in a bitter diplomatic fight since Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter, 33-year-old Yulia Skripal, were poisoned in the English cathedral city of Salisbury on March 4.

The assault stoked British rage over what UK Prime Minister Theresa May called “a brazen attempt to murder innocent civilians on our soil.”

May has accused Russia of orchestrating the attack but Russian officials have repeatedly denied carrying out the poisoning.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the accusations as “delirium” on Sunday, in comments after winning another six years as president. </s> President Donald Trump is weighing a recommendation from his National Security Council that he expel a group of Russian diplomats from the US in response to the poisonings of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in England, a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

It is believed that the US had been waiting to see what members of the European Council would do, a source with knowledge of the discussions said, and on Friday, 10 European countries announced they would follow the United Kingdom's lead by also expelling Russian diplomats.

Germany, France, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Czech, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Ireland and several others will "likely" expel the Russians on Monday, a senior foreign diplomat told CNN.

The United Kingdom ordered 23 Russian diplomats back to Moscow last week after the country concluded that Russia was responsible for the poisonings.

The National Security Council's recommendation to Trump, made on Friday, comes after a high-level meeting at the White House on Wednesday in which the council drew up a range of options to take action against Russia, according to multiple State Department officials and a source familiar with the discussion.

Ultimately, the outcome of that meeting was a recommendation that Trump should expel more Russian diplomats from the US -- an option several sources told CNN was the most severe response under consideration.

Trump could act on the recommendation as early as Monday, one source familiar with the decision said.

Prior to Wednesday's meeting, one State Department source told CNN the move would be considered a "very serious step," especially given the last round of tit-for-tat expulsions that have left both Russia and the US with significantly smaller diplomatic forces in each other's countries.

On Tuesday, one senior State Department official, speaking on background, supported the UK's own decision to kick out 23 Russian diplomats: "We stand in solidarity with our Allies in the United Kingdom, and we fully supported the UK's decision to expel diplomats and take other actions to respond. The United States is considering a range of options to respond to this outrageous incident, both to demonstrate our solidarity with our Ally and to hold Russia accountable for its clear breach of international norms and agreements."

Russia and the UK have been embroiled in a bitter diplomatic fight since Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter, 33-year-old Yulia Skripal, were poisoned in the English cathedral city of Salisbury on March 4.

The assault stoked British rage over what UK Prime Minister Theresa May called "a brazen attempt to murder innocent civilians on our soil."

May has accused Russia of orchestrating the attack but Russian officials have repeatedly denied carrying out the poisoning.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the accusations as "delirium" on Sunday, in comments after winning another six years as president. </s> Russian diplomats and their families are preparing to leave the UK after being expelled over the Salisbury spy attack.

Removal vans and diplomatic cars have been arriving at the embassy in London.

The UK expelled 23 diplomats after Prime Minister Theresa May said Russia was "culpable" for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Later on Tuesday, the Government will decide whether to impose further sanctions on Russia.

Mrs May will chair a meeting of the National Security Council.

Moscow has denied all involvement, and is expelling 23 British diplomats in response.

According to the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Robbins, the Russian Embassy said around 80 people - including Russian diplomats and their families - will leave London today.

It comes as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the UK must still deal with Russia despite "all fingers" pointing to it over the Salisbury spy attack.

He said he would "do business" with Vladimir Putin but assertively and on the basis of the UK's values.

Former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remain critically ill in hospital after being found slumped on a bench on 4 March. They had been exposed to a nerve agent.

Meanwhile, the head of counter-terrorism policing in the UK, Met Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, said the focus of the Salisbury investigation is "on the movements of the Skripals". </s> New Zealand has no plans to expel Russian diplomats in solidarity with a number of Western states in connection with the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom, country's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday.Ardern told Newstalk ZB broadcaster that the Russian diplomats , which will be expelled from these countries, were undeclared intelligence officers."We ran a check, we don't have those in New Zealand but if we did we would expel them," Ardern said as quoted by the broadcaster.US President Donald Trump, in particular, ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats, including 48 employees of the Russian Embassy and 12 people who have been assigned to the United Nations in New York, as well as the closure of the Russian Consulate in Seattle.A total of 16 EU countries, as well as the United States , Canada, Albania, Norway, Ukraine, Macedonia and Australia announced on Monday their decisions to expel about 100 Russian diplomats in connection with Moscow's alleged involvement in the nerve agent attack on Skripal and his daughter in the UK city of Salisbury.Skripal, a former GRU colonel and a double agent who worked for UK intelligence, and his daughter Yulia have been in hospital in a critical condition since March 4 due to exposure to what the UK experts say was a A234 nerve agent. UK Prime Minister Theresa May has accused Russia of orchestrating the attack and expelled 23 Russian diplomats, while the European Union has expressed its solidarity.The Russian side has strongly rejected the accusations and offered assistance in the investigation. Moscow's request for samples of the chemical substance used to poison Skripal was rejected. Moscow expelled UK diplomats in response and ordered the British Council to cease its activities in Russia. </s> Russia is to expel 60 US diplomats and has ordered the closure of the US consulate in St. Petersburg, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday, in retaliation for a similar move by Washington.

Lavrov, making the announcement in Moscow, said the US ambassador Jon Huntsman had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry to be told of the decision.

The US expelled 60 diplomats on Monday as part of a coordinated global response to the poisoning of a former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, in Britain. The British government blames Russia for using a military-grade nerve agent for the poisoning, in the English city of Salisbury on March 4.

More than 20 countries said they would expel more than 100 Russian diplomats over the case.

Russia has firmly denied responsibility and President Vladimir Putin has dismissed it as "delirium." Russia had already been engaged in a tit-for-tat with Britain, with both countries expelling 23 diplomats. </s> More than two dozen nations on three continents this week vowed to boot out Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy in England, including the U.S. which is expelling 60 envoys.The United Kingdom earlier this month sent home 23 Russian diplomats -- after saying Russia was behind the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England.Since Monday, the following 27 countries and NATO have said that they, too, are expelling Russian diplomats, bringing the total being sent home to Russia to at least 152.60 diplomats (and it said it would close Russia's consulate in Seattle)13 diplomats7 diplomats will have accreditation withdrawn, three others' pending accreditation requests have been denied4 diplomats (and denying three others' applications)4 diplomats4 diplomats4 diplomats3 diplomats3 diplomats3 diplomats2 diplomats2 diplomats2 diplomats2 diplomats: 2 diplomats2 diplomats1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat (and withdrawing the status of one honorary consul)The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk , suggested there could be more measures to come.Russia's foreign ministry on Monday issued a statement today protesting the U.S. and European expulsions of Russian diplomats, calling it a "provocative step" and warning that it will respond. Moscow did not say explicitly how it would act, but after the U.K. kicked out 23 Russian diplomats this month, Russia expelled the same number of British diplomats."Rest assured, we will respond," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday, without offering specifics. "No one would want to tolerate such obnoxiousness and we won't either."Skripal and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, were found slumped over, unconscious on a park bench in the southern English town of Salisbury. The U.K. has accused Russia of bearing responsibility for the March 4 attack, which British officials say involved a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed secretly by Russia -- an assessment shared by the United States.Russia has denied any involvement. </s> Image copyright EPA Image caption The US Consulate in St Petersburg is to be closed

Russia has expelled 60 US diplomats and closed the St Petersburg consulate in a tit-for-tat response to US action over a spy poisoning case in the UK.

Russia's foreign minister said other countries that expelled Russians could expect a "symmetrical" response.

On Friday, several ambassadors from Western countries were summoned to the Russian foreign ministry.

The move comes amid a row over the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in the UK.

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench in the city of Salisbury on 4 March, and the UK government has blamed Russia for the attack.

Image copyright EPA/ Yulia Skripal/Facebook Image caption Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, have been in hospital since the attack

Russia has vehemently denied any role in the Salisbury attack. Mr Skripal remains in a critical but stable condition. His daughter's condition is said to be improving.

More than 20 countries have expelled Russian envoys in solidarity with the UK. Among them is the US, which earlier this week ordered 60 diplomats to leave and closed the Russian consulate general in Seattle.

Whom is Russia expelling?

Russia declared 58 US diplomats in Moscow and two in the city of Yekaterinburg to be "personae non gratae".

Image copyright AFP Image caption Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would respond "in kind"

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said US ambassador Jon Huntsman had been informed of the "retaliatory measures".

"As for the other countries, everything will also be symmetrical in terms of the number of people from their diplomatic missions who will be leaving Russia," he added.

Later, a US state department spokeswoman said America reserved the right to take further action.

The Russian foreign minister also accused Britain of "forcing everyone to follow an anti-Russian course".

He said Moscow was responding to "absolutely unacceptable actions that are taken against us under very harsh pressure from the United States and Britain under the pretext of the so-called Skripal case".

He reiterated Russian calls for consular access to Yulia Skripal - a Russian citizen.

Russia, he said, was also seeking a meeting with leaders of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to "establish the truth".

How did the tit-for-tat expulsions begin?

Following the incident in Salisbury, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced a series of sanctions, including the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats alleged to be intelligence agents.

The Kremlin responded by expelling an equal number of UK diplomats and closing the country's British Council.

Then - in what has been cited as the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in history - more than 20 governments expelled diplomats in their countries.

UK National Security Adviser Mark Sedwill, speaking in Washington on Thursday, said expulsions by Western countries were aimed at rooting out covert Russian intelligence networks.

What do we know about the nerve agent?

Britain says the chemical used in the attack was part of a group of nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union known as Novichok.

Experts from the OPCW arrived in the UK on 19 March to test samples. The results are expected to take a minimum of two weeks, the government says.

Police say the Skripals first came into contact with the nerve agent at Mr Skripal's home in Salisbury, with the highest concentration found on the front door.
In response to the UK's decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats following the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, the Russian Federation expels 23 British diplomats, closes the British Council in Russia and closes the Consulate-General of the United Kingdom in Saint Petersburg.