US vice-president Mike Pence spoke out against what he described as “the spectre of aggression” from Russia, the day after Moscow said it would expel hundreds of US embassy staff in retaliation for US sanctions.
Mr Pence, who threw America’s weight behind Nato after meetings with leaders of the three Baltic states that neighbour Russia, ratcheted up US rhetoric on Monday as observers waited to see how the US would react to diplomatic expulsions reminiscent of the cold war era.
Russia president Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that Russia would expel 755 US embassy staff in retaliation for the US passing new laws on sanctions against Moscow over alleged meddling in US elections and its 2014 involvement in Ukraine. The US said Russia required it to reduce total mission staffing to 455 employees by September 1.