Following the March 4 nerve-agent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the United Kingdom, blamed on Russia by the British government, the United States expelled 60 Russian diplomats on March 26, 2018, spearheading a coordinated effort with at least 14 European Union countries to expel Russian diplomatic staff. Germany expelled four, the Netherlands two, Estonia its Russian defense attache, Czech Republic three, Lithuania three with additional bans on 44 officials, Latvia one, France four, and Poland four diplomats. The European Council President Donald Tusk called it a unified reprisal and warned about possible further measures. British Prime Minister Theresa May labeled this the largest expulsion of Russian intelligence officers ever, and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson hailed the collective action as historic and vital for shared security. Russia condemned the expulsions as unjustified and threatening, announcing plans to expel an equal number of diplomats from the US and EU countries. Over 100 Russian diplomats were ultimately ordered out. The episode underscores sharp diplomatic tensions stemming from the poisoning incident, with Russia denying involvement and lamenting the lack of definitive proof. The incident triggered the largest coordinated diplomatic retaliation against Russia since the Cold War, highlighting a significant escalation in Western responses to perceived Russian aggression.

Following the March 4 nerve-agent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the United Kingdom, blamed on Russia by the British government, the United States expelled 60 Russian diplomats on March 26, 2018, spearheading a coordinated effort with at least 14 European Union countries to expel Russian diplomatic staff. Germany expelled four, the Netherlands two, Estonia its Russian defense attache, Czech Republic three, Lithuania three with additional bans on 44 officials, Latvia one, France four, and Poland four diplomats. The European Council President Donald Tusk called it a unified reprisal and warned about possible further measures. British Prime Minister Theresa May labeled this the largest expulsion of Russian intelligence officers ever, and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson hailed the collective action as historic and vital for shared security. Russia condemned the expulsions as unjustified and threatening, announcing plans to expel an equal number of diplomats from the US and EU countries. Over 100 Russian diplomats were ultimately ordered out. The episode underscores sharp diplomatic tensions stemming from the poisoning incident, with Russia denying involvement and lamenting the lack of definitive proof. The incident triggered the largest coordinated diplomatic retaliation against Russia since the Cold War, highlighting a significant escalation in Western responses to perceived Russian aggression.