Russia is expelling 35 US diplomats in response to US President Barack Obama's expulsion of the same number of Russian officials in a hacking row, according to a statement from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday. "We cannot leave such actions without a response. Reciprocity is the law of diplomacy and international relations," Lavrov said in comments carried by state media. 

    According to the statement, 31 US diplomats from Moscow and four from St Petersburg would now be persona non grata. Russian President Vladimir Putin would have to sign off on the expulsions. Obama announced on Thursday that he had passed executive actions to impose sanctions on Russia's cyber intelligence community, including several companies, and would expel 35 Russian diplomats

Source: QNA