4 Apr 2022 17:50

Lithuania tells Russian ambassador to leave country, closes consulate in Klaipeda

VILNIUS. April 4 (Interfax/BNS) - The Lithuanian government resolved on Monday to lower the level of diplomatic representation between Lithuania and Russia and told the Russian ambassador to leave the country.

Lithuania has also decided to close the Russian consulate in Klaipeda, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said.

Russia will not leave the expulsion of its ambassador from Lithuania unanswered, State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee head Leonid Slutsky said.

"I am sure countermeasures will definitely follow and will be commensurate," Slutsky told Interfax on Monday.

"The ambassador's expulsion and the consulate's closure will significantly lower the level of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Vilnius," he said.