The United States expelled two Russian embassy officials after Russia earlier expelled two U.S. diplomats from the American embassy in Moscow, the U.S. State Department said. “In response to the Russian Federation’s specious expulsion of two U.S. Embassy Moscow diplomats, the State Department reciprocated by declaring persona non grata two Russian Embassy officials operating in the United States,” a State Department spokesman said. “The Department will not tolerate the Russian government’s pattern of harassment of our diplomats,” the spokesman added.
