BERLIN (AP) — Germany, Poland and Sweden have each declared a Russian diplomat in their country “persona non grata.” They were retaliating in kind to last week’s decision by Moscow to expel diplomats from the three European Union countries. Germany’s foreign ministry said Monday that Russia’s decision to expel the European diplomats, including a staffer at the German Embassy in Moscow, “was not justified in any way.” It added that the decision was taken in close coordination with Poland, Sweden and the European diplomatic service. The tit-for-tat expulsions come as EU ponders the future of its troubled relations with Russia amid deep concern that their large eastern neighbor sees democracy as a threat.
