Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (Photo: AFP/VNA)

He said Russian President Vladimir Putin will make the final decision ơn how Russian responds to the expulsions, which were ordered over a nerve gas attack targeting former spy Sergei Skripal in the UK’s city of Salisbury.

On Monday, the US, Canada, Ukraine, and several EU countries announced diplomatic sanctions against Russia for the incident. The US expelled 60 Russian diplomats and shut a Russian consulate in Seattle, saying the Russians must leave within 7 days. Dozens of EU countries have announced similar expulsions of Russian diplomats.