As of Monday, 24 nations including Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom have moved to expel 140 Russian diplomats in response to the March 4 poisoning. In their efforts to do the same, it seems that New Zealand has, inadvertently, skipped a step. Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade have spoken with Russian ambassador Valery Tereshchenko to express concerns. Although there is no one to expel just yet, Ardern made it clear that she would take action if further checks find any Russian spies operating in the country. “They need to take this very, very seriously, they need to keep in touch with these countries that have expelled Russian diplomats, and they need to make a decision that is in the best interests of New Zealand.”

Source: National Post March 27, 2018 17:33 UTC