Russian leader Vladimir Putin speaks during a press conference. File photo

Gulf Today Report

The US State Department says Russia has begun the process of expelling several more diplomats from the US embassy in Moscow.

Washington last month said it was expelling 12 Russian diplomats at the country's UN mission in New York over national security concerns, and later announced it would oust an additional Russian at the UN who it said was a spy.

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Russia, which denies the allegations, told the United States on Wednesday it would throw out an unspecified number of American diplomats in response to the moves, Interfax news agency said.

"The American side was told very firmly that any hostile US actions against Russia would provoke a decisive and comparable response," the agency said.

This Maxar satellite image shows the deployment of Russian ground forces in Ivankiv, Ukraine. File/AFP

The department said it received a list of diplomats on Wednesday who have been declared "persona non grata” by the Russian foreign ministry. It didn't say how many diplomats were affected by the order, which generally results in the expulsion of those targeted within 72 hours.

The move comes as the United States and its allies weigh further sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian foreign ministry summoned US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan on Monday to protest President Joe Biden’s description of Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a "war criminal” over the invasion of Ukraine. After that meeting, Russia warned that it was close to severing diplomatic relations with the United States, which would be an unprecedented move.

The State Department called Wednesday’s move "Russia’s latest unhelpful and unproductive step” in relations between the countries. It urged Russia "to end its unjustified expulsions of US diplomats and staff.”