Russia expels U.S.'s second highest official at embassy in Moscow
February 17, 2022, 4:24 pm

Russia expels U.S.'s second highest official at embassy in Moscow

Spasskaya tower and St Basil's cathedral in Moscow, Russia (File photo: Pixabay)

The Swiss Info reported, citing Reuters, a US State Department spokesperson said on Thursday, Russia has expelled the U.S. deputy chief of mission to Russia, Bart Gorman, warning of a U.S. response amid heightened fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The spokesperson said: "Russia’s action against our DCM was unprovoked and we consider this an escalatory step and are considering our response."   

Accordign to the report, it was not immediately clear what justification Moscow gave for the expulsion, but it comes during a months-long standoff over a Russian buildup of more than 150,000 troops near its border with Ukraine.

U.S. officials warned the risk of a Russian invasion remained high and that Russia may attempt to fabricate a pretext for a conflict, despite Moscow saying it was moving some of its troops away from the border.

Flag of America-United States (File photo: Pixabay)

Alongside the border tensions, the United States and Russia have been engaged in a tussle over their respective diplomatic presences in each others' capitals and Moscow said in December that U.S. Embassy staff who have been in the post for more than three years should return home.

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The spokesperson said Gorman, the second most senior U.S. official at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, had a valid visa and had been in Russia for less than three years.

The State Department spokesperson said: "We call on Russia to end its baseless expulsions of U.S. diplomats and staff and to work productively to rebuild our missions." adding that "Now more than ever, it is critical that our countries have the necessary diplomatic personnel in place to facilitate communication between our governments. "  

Source: swissinfo

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.