Updated 6.18pm with explanation by Malta

The United States and more than a dozen European Union states are to expel Russian diplomats following the poisoning of a former double agent in the UK. Malta will not be taking any action, although it supports the actions of the other EU countries.  

President Donald Trump announced that 60 Russian diplomats would be ordered to leave the country, with Russia's consulate in Seattle also being shut down. 

European Union Council president Donald Tusk said 14 EU member states would also be expelling Russian diplomats and did not exclude further sanctions against Russia in the future. 

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the coordinated measures "clearly demonstrate that we all stand shoulder to shoulder in sending the strongest signal to Russia that it cannot continue to flout international law".

Russia's Foreign Ministry called the actions a "provocative gesture" and promised to respond.

The Malta Foreign Ministry said that the government of Malta supported the United Kingdom and backed the European Council's conclusions on the Salisbury attack.

"Malta also supports actions by other countries to expel Russian envoys. We are not doing so ourselves because our diplomatic mission in Moscow is very small and any response by Russia would effectively terminate diplomatic relations," the ministry said.

"This operational decision does not reduce our support for the UK and our security partners. This position was communicated to the UK Government and the EU Council, who accepted this rationale."

Moscow has denied responsibility for the March 4 attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter, who were found unconscious on a public bench in a shopping centre, and remain in hospital in critical condition.

The attack is the first known offensive use of a nerve toxin in Europe since World War Two. Britain expelled 23 Russians as a result and Moscow retaliated by expelling the same number of Britons.

But Russian denials have left western nations unconvinced. 

"Russian explanations of the incident are more or less imaginative, several of them are self-contradictory and are probably mostly a smokescreen to create doubt," Danish foreign minister Anders Samuelsen told journalists on Monday. 

Among the EU states taking action are Germany and France, with their respective foreign ministries saying they would be expelling four diplomats each over Moscow's suspected involvement in the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in England. 

"Today we expelled four Russian diplomats," Germany's foreign ministry said. "After the poisoning attack in Salisbury, Russia is still not cooperating with the investigation."

French foreign minister Jean-Yves le Drian said the decision to expel Russian diplomats was taken "in solidarity with our British partners."

"To the Russian government we say: when you attack our friends, you will face serious consequences," a senior US administration official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

 

Russia is expected to respond to the expulsions in kind. Interfax news agency quoted a Russian senator as saying Moscow will expel at least 60 staff from US diplomatic missions in Russia, while RIA news agency quoted a Russian source as saying the country's response to EU expulsions would be "symmetrical.

"We will work on it in the coming days and will respond to every country in turn," the source said, according to the agency.

 

Who's expelling who? (Updated on Tuesday at 3.30pm)

Following are diplomatic measures announced against Russia by the United States, Canada, Australia, several EU countries and Ukraine in response to the poisoning of a former Russian double agent with military-grade nerve agent in the English town of Salisbury.

BRITAIN - Expelled 23 Russians alleged to have worked as spies under diplomatic cover. Promised to freeze any Russian state assets that "may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents".

UNITED STATES - Expelling 60 Russians, including 12 intelligence officers from Russia's mission to UN headquarters in New York. Closing Russian consulate in Seattle.

CANADA - Expelling four Russians alleged to have worked as spies or interfered in Canadian affairs under diplomatic cover. Denying three applications for Russian diplomatic staff.

UKRAINE - Expelling 13 Russian diplomats

FRANCE - Expelling four diplomats

GERMANY - Expelling four diplomats

POLAND - Expelling four diplomats

LITHUANIA - Expelling three diplomats

CZECH REPUBLIC - Expelling three diplomats

ITALY - Expelling two diplomats

AUSTRALIA - Expelling two diplomats

NETHERLANDS - Expelling two diplomats

SPAIN - Expelling two diplomats

ALBANIA - Expelling two diplomats

DENMARK - Expelling two diplomats

HUNGARY - Expelling one diplomat

IRELAND - Expelling one diplomat

MACEDONIA - Expelling one diplomat

SWEDEN - Expelling one diplomat

NORWAY - Expelling one diplomat

LATVIA - Expelling one diplomat

ESTONIA - Expelling one diplomat

FINLAND - Expelling one diplomat

ROMANIA - Expelling one diplomat

CROATIA - Expelling one diplomat

RUSSIAN RESPONSE:

BRITAIN - Russia has expelled 23 British diplomats and closed the British consulate in St Petersburg and the British Council cultural body.

OTHERS - Moscow will expel at least 60 staff from U.S. diplomatic missions in Russia, RIA news agency quoted Russian senator Vladimir Dzhabarov as saying.

RIA also quoted an unnamed Foreign Ministry source as saying: "The response will be symmetrical. We will work on it in the coming days and will respond to every country in turn."