Breaking: Russia Expels Senior U.S. Diplomat from Moscow as Tensions over Ukraine Rise

Russia has expelled the second-most senior American diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow as tensions between the two countries continue to rise over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, the State Department said Thursday.

"Russia's action against our [deputy chief of mission] was unprovoked and we consider this an escalatory step and are considering our response," a State Department spokesman said after U.S. deputy chief of mission Bart Gorman was ordered to leave the country despite having a valid visa.

"We call on Russia to end its baseless expulsions of U.S. diplomats and staff and to work productively to rebuild our missions," the spokesman added. "Now more than ever, it is critical that our countries have the necessary diplomatic personnel in place to facilitate communication between our governments."

Russia Expels Senior U.S. Diplomat from Moscow as Tensions over Ukraine Rise "We call on Russia to end its baseless expulsions of U.S. diplomats and staff," said a State Department ... READ MORE ADVERTISEMENT Follow Us & Share 19 West 44th Street, Suite 1701, New York, NY, 10036, USA Your Preferences | Unsubscribe | Privacy View this e-mail in your browser.