Britain expels 23 Russian diplomats over nerve agent attack on ex-spy

Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats in response to a nerve agent attack on a Russian former double agent in southern England, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday, adding it was the biggest single expulsion in over 30 years.

May told parliament Britain would also freeze Russian state assets wherever there was evidence of a threat and downgrade its attendance at the soccer World Cup this summer.

Former spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious on a bench in the city of Salisbury on March 4 and remain in hospital in a critical condition.

May has said the pair were attacked with Novichok, a Soviet-era military-grade nerve agent.

Russia willing to banish Americans over diplomatic dispute: Zakharova

Russia Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the country was prepared to banish American diplomats if the United States (US) does not undo its decision to expel 35 Russian diplomats and block access to Russian diplomatic estates.

CNN quoted the ministry's spokeswoman, Maria V Zakharova, as saying that after US President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin last week, Russia expected the US "to take a more constructive approach" to resolving the dispute.

"The time is ticking," Zakharova said. "We know how to respond."

In December, former US President Barack Obama ordered the removal of 35 Russians suspected of being spies after American intelligence agencies concluded that Russia had tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

Adding to this, Obama administration announced that it would close two Russian waterfront compounds outside Washington and New York, describing them as spy nests, CNN reported.

At the time, Russian President Putin said that his would not respond in kind, suggesting that he expected a different relationship with Trump administration.

Zakharova described Obama's moves as a "provocation" intended at derailing Trump's attempts to improve bilateral relations.
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