The Government expects Moscow to expel an Irish diplomat within weeks as part of a retaliatory response to the expulsion of more than 100 Russian diplomats from 30 countries in the past few days.
The Russian ambassador to Ireland, Yuri Filatov, was summoned to the Department of Foreign Affairs early yesterday afternoon to be told that diplomatic credentials were being removed from one of 17 officials based in its Dublin embassy. That official will have to leave the country within nine days.
At a press conference in the embassy later on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Filatov described the decision as “totally unwarranted, uncalled for, senseless and regrettable”.
Indicating that a reprisal expulsion from Moscow would follow from the Irish action, he said: “You might safely assume that this kind of unwarranted and absolutist decision and action would not go unanswered, that is sure.”
The decision to expel the diplomat was announced by Tánaiste Simon Coveney following a Cabinet discussion on the matter yesterday morning. Mr Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs, also briefed his Fianna Fáil counterpart, Darragh O’Brien, in advance.
Last night Mr Coveney made it clear that the Government decision was based only partly on an act of solidarity with the UK arising from the nerve-agent attack in Salisbury.
It also relied on a high-level security assessment of Russian activity in Ireland, which suggested the Government had formed a view that the Russian intelligence service, the FSB, was operating in this jurisdiction.
National security
Last night Mr Coveney told the Dáil: “I would emphasise that the decision was not just based on political and diplomatic factors. I want to make clear that the assessment included the full range of factors, including our own national security, and relied on the advice of those with the greatest relevant expertise in each area.”
A high-level group had been set up to conduct the assessment and included senior figures from the Department of Justice, the Garda and the Defence Forces. It gave Mr Coveney a detailed briefing on Sunday night, just before his departure for Government business in Sweden.
While Fianna Fáil said it was satisfied the action taken was appropriate, Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats and Solidarity-PBP all called for the Government to show evidence underlining its decision. It came as British prime minister Theresa May called for a “long-term response” by the West to the security threat from Russia as Nato followed member states in expelling Russian diplomats over the poisoning of a double agent in England.
Speaking to senior cabinet members in London on Tuesday, Ms May said countries had acted against Russia not just out of solidarity but because they recognised the threat it posed.
US president Donald Trump discussed Russia in phone calls on Tuesday with French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel.
The leaders endorsed the western response to Russia’s chemical weapons attack in Britain, including the expulsion of Russian diplomatic personnel, the White House said.
Russia has not disclosed yet what retaliatory steps it will take. President Vladimir Putin made no comment on the matter when visiting the scene of a devastating shopping mall fire in the Siberian city of Kemerovo.
