Russia expels no. 2 US diplomat from embassy in Moscow: State Department

Russia has expelled the US Deputy Chief of Mission Bart Gorman from Moscow, the State Department confirmed on Thursday.

The move was announced shortly after the State Department said it had received a response to Washington’s response about security proposals and guarantees demanded by Russia.

“We can confirm that Russia expelled US Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) to Russia Bart Gorman,” a State Department spokesperson told reporters.

The official added that the US was studying its response. “We call on Russia to end its baseless expulsions of US diplomats and staff and to work productively to rebuild our missions,” the spokesperson said.

Gorman was responsible for managing key aspects of the US-Russia relationship, according to the Embassy website. He also served as the Senior Regional Security Officer (RSO) in Moscow from 2014 to 2016.

Russia has amassed thousands of troops near the border with Ukraine, with the US warning of a potential invasion “at any time.” Moscow has denied the allegations.
Top US diplomat to speak at UN

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will deliver remarks on “Russia’s threat to peace and security,” the State Department announced. He will stop at a UN Security Council Meeting in New York today before heading to Germany for the Munich Security Conference.

Washington’s envoy to the UN said that she asked Blinken to speak. “Overnight, after a series of conversations with the White House, the National Security Council, and the State Department, I asked Secretary Blinken to come speak directly to the UN Security Council on his way to Munich about the serious situation in Ukraine,” she tweeted.

US President Joe Biden deployed thousands of US troops to Eastern Europe earlier this month as tensions ramped up. The US has also closed its embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and relocated operations to Lviv due to the “dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces,” the State Department said on Monday.

Moscow said that it had withdrawn some troops and forces from the border with Ukraine, but the US has voiced its disbelief. “We have not yet verified that... Our analysts indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position,” President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.