Russia announced Thursday it will expel 60 U.S. diplomats and close the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg in retaliation for U.S. measures taken in response to the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy and his daughter in Britain.  Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Thursday, where he was given notice that Russia is responding quid pro quo to the U.S. decision to order 60 Russian diplomats out. Lavrov said Moscow will also retaliate to the U.S. decision to shut the Russian consulate in Seattle by closing the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg.

The United State’s decision to close the Russian consulate in Seattle prompted the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., to tweet a poll asking social media users which U.S. consulate should be closed in Russia, USA Today reported. St. Petersburg appeared to get the most votes in the poll. Lavrov said like the U.S, other countries that also expelled Russian diplomats will also be on the chopping block. Two dozen countries, including the U.S., many EU nations and NATO, have ordered more than 150 Russian diplomats out this week in a show of solidarity with Britain. READ MORE


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