© Brendan McDermid / ReutersRuslands FN ambassadør Vassily Nebenzia
"Udvisningen af russiske diplomater så vel som andre skridt for nylig, så som den indskrænkede adgang til Ruslands diplomatiske ejendom, visa afvisning til missionens ansatte og andre [midler] kan ses som USA's misbrug af deres rettigheder og privilegier som værtsland," sagde Vassily Nebenzia.
Nebenzia påpegede, at den status som ansatte ved landenes permanente repræsentationer ved de Forenede Nationer, reguleres af FN konventionen, nemlig FN konventionen af 1946 om privilegier og immunitet og aftalen mellem FN og USA angående hovedkvarteret for de Forenede Nationer, underskrevet i 1947.
Kommentar: Delvist oversat af Sott.net fra Russia's UN envoy: US abusing its rights as host country by expelling Russian diplomats at UN
Se også Trump caves again, expels 60 Russian diplomats, closes Seattle consulate over fake accusations for Skripal poisoning - 14 EU states follow suit
The US announced earlier on Monday that it was expelling 48 Russian diplomats from the US and declaring 12 Russian diplomats at the UN seat in New York 'persona non grata'. Washington followed the lead of the UK in their retaliation over the Sergei Skripal poisoning in Salisbury, which London blames on Russia without providing any evidence. The UK is also refusing to cooperate with Moscow in the investigation.
In a statement on the expulsion of the 12 UN staffers, US ambassador at the UN Nikki Haley accused them of having "engaged in espionage activities that are adverse to our national security."
These allegations were dismissed by Nebenzia, who said that the US had no right to interfere with the work of the UN.
"The employees of Russia's mission at the UN present their credentials to the UN and perform their functions exclusively within the UN," he stressed, noting that, as the host country, the US has a special obligation to preserve the privileges and immunity of the staff of the UN member countries, as well as the employees at the UN administrative bodies.
"This is an extremely inappropriate and unfriendly step," Nebenzia said, adding that he "doesn't think" that kicking out Russian UN diplomats from US territory is in line with the agreements the US has with the UN.
The US, Canada and 16 EU countries have agreed to expel Russian diplomats, in what appears to be a coordinated manner. While the punitive measure is being linked to the Skripal case, Nebenzia suggested the anti-Russia campaign could have been premeditated, even before the increasingly murky incident in Salisbury on March, 4.
"This friendship against Russia, is, no doubt, over the case which, the further it goes, the more murky details emerge. There's no case, so to speak. There is a verdict made without any investigation," Nebenzia said, noting that Russia's requests for information on a supposedly ongoing probe have been neglected.
"The further we go the more questions arise, including from me. What happened before - did the Salisbury incident precede the expulsion of Russian diplomats, or did the decision to expel Russian diplomats precede the Salisbury incident?" Nebenzia wondered.
Nebenzia said that the departure of the diplomats will deal "a blow" to the mission. "But I think we will mobilize," he added.
Kommentar: See also: Trump caves again, expels 60 Russian diplomats, closes Seattle consulate over fake accusations for Skripal poisoning - 14 EU states follow suit