Poland considers deporting Russian diplomats after poisoning of Skripal
Poland may expel Russian diplomats from its territory in solidarity with the actions taken by Britain after an attempt on the life of Sergei Skripal, a former Colonel for the Russian intelligence service.
The decision may be taken very soon, writes Polskie Radio, citing Dziennik Gazeta Prawna. The newspaper also referred to sources in the government.
According to the publication, the decision will depend greatly on the decisions taken Monday in Brussels at a meeting of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council. The meeting will be attended by the Foreign Ministers of Poland and Ukraine, Jacek Czaputowicz and Pavlo Klimkin, among others.
Poland wants the member countries of the EU to agree on joint actions with respect to Russia. However, if this does not happen, the country is ready to independently impose sanctions against the Russian Federation. These would include restrictions on Russian diplomats, people from Vladimir Putin's entourage, and actions against Moscow's economic interests.
On March 4, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious in the city of Salisbury. The victims, as it turned out, were poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok, which had been developed by the Russian Federation.
In 2006, Skripal was convicted by Russia of espionage on behalf of British intelligence and sentenced to thirteen years in prison. He was granted asylum in the UK as part of a large-scale spy exchange between the US and Russia in 2010.
Britain has expelled 23 Russian diplomats and imposed other restrictions in response to the poisoning of Skripal.