By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - In a tit-for-tat move, the UK on Thursday summoned the Russian ambassador to revoke the accreditation of a Russian diplomat.
The British Foreign Office said it summoned Andrey Kelin, the Russian ambassador to the UK, for a meeting with a senior British official to revoke the accreditation of a Russian diplomat.
In November, Russia announced it was expelling a British diplomat for spying, which was denied by the UK.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office said the move came in response to Russia’s "unprovoked and baseless" decision to strip the accreditation of a British diplomat in Moscow in November.
"Any further action taken by Russia will be considered an escalation and responded to accordingly," added the statement.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said they are "unapologetic" about protecting the country's national interests.
"My message to Russia is clear - if you take action against us, we will respond," he wrote on X.