Italy will expel 30 Russian diplomats "for national security reasons," according to the newspaper Corriere della Sera, which cited Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.
"At my request, Foreign Ministry Secretary Ettore Francesco Sequi met this morning with Russian Ambassador to Italy Sergei Razov to notify him of the Italian government's decision to expel 30 Russian diplomats, declaring them personae non grata. This measure, taken in coordination with our partners, was necessary for reasons related to our national security," said the minister, who is on a visit to Germany.
Following the declaration by the Italian Foreign Minister, Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry's official representative, indicated that Moscow will respond. "Russia will respond appropriately to the expulsion [of diplomats] from Italy," she said, according to TASS.
Denmark announced its intention to expel 15 Russian diplomats on Tuesday, April 5. Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod described the move as a "historic step" and said the decision to remove ambassadors was made to "defend Denmark's security." In response, Zakharova stated that she will take appropriate action against Danish diplomats in Moscow.
Employees of Russian embassies were expelled from France and Germany on April 4. The French Foreign Ministry has not stated how many diplomats will be expelled, but the French TV station BFMTV believes that 30 Russians will be affected. According to the publication Le Parisien, which cited sources, 35 diplomats will be evacuated.
The decision was decided within the framework of a common European approach, according to Paris. Zakharova pledged to respond "decently."
According to BFMTV, the French Foreign Ministry called Russian Ambassador Alexei Meshkov on Tuesday to inform him of the expulsion of diplomats.
The German Foreign Ministry said that 40 diplomats would be removed. These will be diplomats who, according to German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbok, "fought every day here in Germany against our freedom, against the coherence of our community." Berlin made this choice, she claimed, after images from the city of Bucha in the Kyiv region surfaced.
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