In tit for tat, Russia to expel UK diplomats: Lavrov

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia will expel British diplomats in response to U.K. actions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday, adding fuel to an escalating row over the attempted murder of an ex-Russian spy living in England.

"Certainly. Soon," Lavrov said when asked at a forum in Moscow if Russia will order British diplomats to leave.

Lavrov called the U.K. actions "the nervous reaction to Russia's return as an equal partner."

On Wednesday, Britain announced it was expelling 23 Russian diplomats after Moscow missed a deadline to explain how a Russian-made nerve agent was used in the attempted murder.

Lavrov added: "I think this story reflects the British government’s inability to fulfill its responsibilities under Brexit."

Earlier today, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the U.K.'s reaction to the attack on the ex-spy "irresponsible."

Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were admitted to a hospital after being found unconscious on a bench on March 4 in the southern English city of Salisbury.

Skripal was granted refuge in the U.K. following a 2010 spy exchange between the U.S. and Russia. Before the exchange, he was serving 13 years in prison for leaking information to British intelligence.

The incident has been compared to the 2006 death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko after being poisoned with a radioactive substance in a central London hotel. Former KGB bodyguards identified as suspects in the murder denied any involvement.

- 'Ready to work with Pompeo"

Lavrov also said Russia is ready to work with Mike Pompeo, the incoming U.S. secretary of state.

"We are ready to work with anyone," he said.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump named CIA Director Pompeo the next U.S. secretary of state, ousting Rex Tillerson.