Russia will no doubt reciprocate the expulsion of Russian diplomats from many Western and European countries, but it will do so at an appropriate time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said today.
Peshkov did not elaborate on Russia's response, but said it would be in Russia's national interest. He expressed hope that the countries that deported Russian diplomats would seriously consider the information which, according to Britain, proves Russia's involvement in the neuroparalysis poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter on March 4 in England. .
Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow would assess the level of hostility of Washington and London towards Russia before responding to the expulsion of Russian diplomats, according to the Interfax news agency.
Russia, which has denied any involvement in the March 4 attack, said Western energy was a "provocative gesture" and had said it would "react."
For her part, the president of the Federation Council (upper house) Valentina Matvienko said on the occasion of the mass deportations of Russian diplomats from Western countries, that Russia will respond with the same currency.
"Undoubtedly, Russia, as is customary in the practice of diplomacy, will respond symmetrically and balance the number of diplomats," Matvienko said, stressing that Russia was forced to respond with the same measures.
"We are not the ones who started this and we are not responsible for it," said the president of the Federation Council.