Feb 17, 2022: According to a report by AFP, Russia has deported Bart Gorman, the US deputy chief of mission to Russia, a State Department spokesman said Thursday, warning of a US response amid growing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

It was not immediately clear what justification Moscow gave for the expulsion, but it came amid a month-long standoff with more than 150,000 Russian troops gathering near its border with Ukraine. US officials have warned that the threat of a Russian invasion is high and that Russia may try to use the conflict as an excuse, but Moscow says it is withdrawing some of its troops from the border.

“Russia’s action against our DCM was unprovoked and we consider this an escalatory step and are considering our response,” the state department spokesperson said.

Amid border tensions, the U.S and Russia have been embroiled in controversy over their diplomatic presence in each other’s capitals, and Moscow said in December that US embassy staff, who have held the post for more than three years, should return home. The state department spokesman said Gorman, the second most senior US official at the US embassy in Moscow, had a valid visa and had been in Russia for less than three years.

“We call on Russia to end its baseless expulsions of US diplomats and staff and to work productively to rebuild our missions, now more than ever, it is critical that our countries have the necessary diplomatic personnel in place to facilitate communication between our governments.”

Stay tuned to BaaghiTV for latest news and Updates!