The State Department confirmed Thursday that Russia had expelled a top American diplomat, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Bart Gorman, the second most senior official stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Gorman was expelled last week, according to an embassy spokesperson.
“Russia’s action against our (deputy chief of mission) was unprovoked and we consider this an escalatory step and are considering our response,” a State Department spokesman said.
“We call on Russia to end its baseless expulsions of U.S. diplomats and staff and to work productively to rebuild our missions,” the spokesman added. ”Now more than ever, it is critical that our countries have the necessary diplomatic personnel in place to facilitate communication between our governments.”
Asked about Moscow's troop buildup, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. and its NATO partners “will closely match Russian words to Russian deeds, what they say to what they actually do.”
“We’ve seen some of those troops inch closer to that border. We see them fly in more combat and support aircraft," he said at NATO headquarters in Brussels. "We see them sharpen their readiness in the Black Sea. We even see them stocking up their blood supplies. You don’t do these sort of things for no reason, and you certainly don’t do them if you’re getting ready to pack up and go home."