Lithuanian foreign minister urges European countries to expel Russian ambassadors

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on Tuesday urged the European countries to expel Russian ambassadors.

"There is no point in keeping Russian embassies in any European capital ... In most cases, it is no longer a diplomatic organization, but a propaganda one," the Elta news agency quoted Landsbergis as saying.

Lithuania downgraded diplomatic relations with Russia and returned its ambassador from Moscow last April.

In October, Sergey Ryabokon, charge d'affaires of Russia in Lithuania, was also declared persona non grata.

The top diplomat’s remarks came a day after Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda urged the West to “cross red lines” and keep all options open with regards to requests from Ukraine for military aid, including fighter jets.

In response, the Kremlin highlighted "extremely aggressive position" of the Baltic states and Poland, adding that "major European countries" should counterbalance their stance.

Last week, Russia downgraded its relations with Estonia to the level of charge d’affaires over Tallinn’s decision to reduce the size of the Russian mission.

The same day Latvia also expelled the Russian ambassador, in solidarity with Estonia.