Moscow, Sept 16: The Russian government has expelled two US diplomats for allegedly maintaining contact with a Russian national who worked for the US Mission and is accused by Moscow of being an “informant,” CNN reported. The two diplomats – Jeffrey Sillin and David Bernstein have been declared as “persona non grata,” which implies that they have to leave the country within one week.United States has condemned Russia’s decision stating that Mosco was chosen “confrontation and escalation over constructive diplomatic engagement.” According to the Russian Foreign Ministry and the US Embassy in Moscow, US Ambassador Lynne Tracy was summoned to the Ministry on Thursday. Lynne Tracy was informed that the two diplomats – Jeffrey Sillin and David Bernstein have been declared as “persona non grata,” which means they have to leave the country within a week. US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller condemned Russia’s decision to expel two diplomats. Miller said that Russia has yet again chosen “confrontation and escalation over constructive diplomatic engagement.” He further said that the US would “respond appropriately” to Russia’s actions. While addressing a press briefing on Thursday, Matt Miller said, “This unprovoked expulsion of our diplomatic personnel is wholly without merit, as is the case against a former Russian contractor of our embassy who was arrested for the supposedly nefarious task of performing such activities as providing our embassy with media clips.” He further said, “Yet again, Russia has chosen confrontation and escalation over constructive diplomatic engagement. It continues to harass employees of our embassy, just as it continues to intimidate its own citizens. We regret that Russia has taken this path, and you can certainly expect that we will respond appropriately to their actions.” Miller said the expelled US diplomats have not yet left Russia, according to CNN. The expulsion of the two US diplomats comes at a time when the ties between Washington and Moscow have been strained. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Tracy was given “a harsh demarche with the presentation of an official note regarding the incompatibility with the diplomatic status of the actions of the First Secretary of the US Embassy Jeffrey Sillin and the Second Secretary of the Embassy David Bernstein.”
