President Trump’s advisers have decided he should expel several Russian diplomats from the U.S. in response to the suspected state-sponsored poisoning of a former Russian spy residing in England, multiple news outlets reported Friday.
The White House National Security Council (NSC) has concluded the president should eject an untold number of Russians over the recent poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, Bloomberg Politics and CNN both reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The NSC reached the preliminary recommendation of expulsions during a meeting Wednesday, and the advisers honed their decision during a Friday gathering with John Sullivan, the deputy secretary of the U.S. State Department, Bloomberg reported.
An official decision on the matter is expected to be announced on Monday, the report said.
The “United States is considering a range of options to respond to Russia’s outrageous actions in the U.K., both to demonstrate our solidarity with our ally and to hold Russia accountable for its clear breach of international norms and agreements,” said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.
The State Department “doesn’t have any actions to announce today,” Ms. Nauert said Friday evening, Bloomberg reported.
Mr. Skripal, 66, and Ms. Skripal, 33, were found unconscious March 4 on a bench in Salisbury, England. Investigators subsequently determined they were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent, and authorities from both the U.K. and U.S. have assessed that Russia was likely responsible.
British authorities previously ordered the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats over the incident, and at least 10 members of the European Union are expected to announce similar measures of their own Monday, The Guardian reported.
Russia has denied responsibility, and President Vladimir Putin earlier this week labeled the claims linking Moscow to the poisoning as “drivel” and “rubbish.”
A former Russian military intelligence officer, Mr. Skripal was found guilty of high treason by a Moscow court in 2006 in connection with acting as a double agent for British intelligence services. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison but was released as part of a spy swap in 2010.
The Washington Times Comment Policy
The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our
Comment Policy before commenting.