Putin, Moldovan President Briefly Discussed Diplomats' Expulsion at SPIEF

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moldovan President Igor Dodon briefly discussed the issue of Russian diplomats' expulsion from Moldova on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Saturday.

STRELNA (Russia) (Sputnik) — On Monday, the Russian embassy in Moldova received a note from Chisinau stating that five Russian diplomats had been declared personae non grata and would have to leave the country, with the Russian Foreign Ministry announcing on Wednesday that it would reciprocate by expelling five Moldovan diplomats.

"This issue was discussed briefly," Peskov told reporters commenting on Dodon's words that Putin had allegedly assured him that no other reciprocal measures except for Moldovan diplomats' expulsion would follow Chisinau's decision.

On Friday, Dodon said that Russia promised to limit itself to the expulsion of five Moldovan diplomats from the country and not to take additional punitive actions in response to an "unfriendly" move by the Moldovan government.