Russia will expel 60 U.S. diplomats and close the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg, Bloomberg reported, citing an announcement in Moscow by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The New York Times reported that 90 diplomats from other countries are also being expelled.
The moves come days after the White House announced it would expel 60 Russian intelligence officers from the U.S. and close the Russian consulate in Seattle. The decision was made in solidarity with the U.K. following a nerve agent attack against a former Russian spy and his daughter earlier this month in Salisbury, England. The U.S. expulsions were carried out simultaneously with similar actions by Canada, Australia and 14 European countries including Germany, France and Poland.
Russia has denied involvement in the nerve agent attack.