The United States is expelling the No. 2 diplomat at the Russian Embassy in Washington in response to Russia's recent expulsion of the U.S. deputy chief of mission in Moscow, a senior State Department spokesperson said on Thursday.
"The U.S. believes that it is critical that our countries have the necessary diplomatic personnel in place to facilitate communication between our governments. However, we will not let actions like these go without a response," the spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
