Russia expels 18 EU diplomats in retaliatory move

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia on Friday declared 18 diplomats of the EU office in Moscow persona non grata.

Prior to the retaliatory move, the Foreign Ministry summoned EU ambassador Marcus Exeter and expressed its strong protest against the expulsion of 19 Russian diplomats from the country's office to the EU.

"The Russian side has declared the EU's responsibility for the consistent destruction of the architecture of bilateral dialogue and cooperation that has been created for decades," the ministry said in a statement.

It also told Exeter of the need for Brussels to comply with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the statement added.