“Spreading lies” – Other EU countries expel Russian diplomats

After Germany and France, Italy, Denmark and Sweden also expelled Russian diplomats. Italy has expelled 30 Russian diplomats, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said. The background is Italy’s national security and the current crisis “after the unjustified aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation”.

Di Maio’s Danish colleague Jeppe Kofod said 15 Russian intelligence officers who had worked under diplomatic disguise at the Russian embassy in Copenhagen had 14 days to go. You will not accept Russian espionage on Danish soil, Kofod said. At the same time, however, diplomatic ties with Moscow must be maintained. The Russian ambassador and his team are therefore not affected by the deportation.

‘Not enough conversation with ambassador’
Three diplomats are being expelled in Sweden, 40 in Germany. In Austria, NEOS exerted pressure on Tuesday to expel Russian diplomats. Calling Dmitrij Ljubinskij, Russia’s ambassador to Vienna, for an “apparently fruitless” meeting at the Foreign Ministry is definitely not enough, NEOS Secretary General Douglas Hoyos said in a broadcast. “If Russian diplomats here spread Putin’s lying propaganda and deny Russian war crimes in Ukraine, serious consequences and swift, decisive action are needed. There is no doubt that diplomatic exchanges should continue.”

“Don’t Do It Alone”
However, Foreign Minister Schallenberg said in Berlin that he was hesitant to expel Russian diplomats. If he hears a specific case from the intelligence services, he will respond. But he will not expel a large number of diplomats. This should not be done on a national basis, but should be agreed in advance in Brussels – as Rome has done, said Minister Di Maio. In addition, Austria, as the official seat of the United Nations, must also ensure that the representations remain operational. Conversely, one’s own diplomats can also be expelled.