Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced during a press conference on Friday that Moscow will mirror United States' decision to expel 10 Russian diplomats from Washington D.C. embassy by nominating 10 American diplomats to leave Russia's capital.
Lavrov also added that the government has the opportunity to impose more "painful measures" aimed at US businesses in Russia, but will refrain from using them for the time being. Meanwhile, a list of eight US officials that shall be placed under Russia's sanctions is scheduled to be published later in the day.
Russian will also ban US funds and NGOs from meddling in domestic affairs. Lavrov noted that should bilateral relations continue to aggravate, the US will be asked to level the number of employees in Russia from the current 450 staff members to 350, which is the headcount of workers Russia retains in the US.
