Portugal to expel ten Russian diplomats - foreign ministry
The government of Portugal has decided to declare ten Russian embassy staffers personae non gratae, the country's foreign ministry said on its website on Tuesday.
"The foreign ministry is announcing that today the government of Portugal notified the Russian ambassador about its decision to declare personae non gratae ten staffers of this diplomatic mission, whose actions run counter to national security," the statement says.
The diplomats are to leave the country within two weeks.
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"The government of Portugal reiterates its firm and decisive condemnation of the Russian aggression in Ukraine," the ministry said.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an early morning televised address that he had launched a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request for help from the leaders of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no intention of occupying Ukrainian territories, the sole purpose of the operation, the leader stressed, is the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.
The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and some other countries responded by imposing sanctions on Russian individuals and companies.
