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Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vladimir Safronkov (Front) attends an UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East at the UN headquarters in New York, March 26, 2018. The UN Secretariat has received the U.S. decision to expel 12 diplomats of the Russian mission to the world body, said a UN spokesman on Monday. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The UN Secretariat has received the U.S. decision to expel 12 diplomats of the Russian mission to the world body, said a UN spokesman on Monday.

"I can confirm that the United States mission to the United Nations informed the Secretariat of its decision to take action under Section 13 (b) of the UN-U.S. Headquarters Agreement with respect to certain members of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations. This action may require those members to leave the country (of the United States)," Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a daily press briefing.

"Given the sensitivity of the matter, which is ongoing, we will not comment further at this stage other than to confirm that the secretary-general will closely follow this matter and engage, as appropriate, with the governments concerned," said Haq.

Washington has announced the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats -- 48 from Washington and 12 from the Russian UN mission in New York, as well as the closure of the Russian Consulate-General in Seattle.

The U.S. action is said to show solidarity with its ally Britain, which claimed that Moscow was responsible for the poisoning of a former Russian spy on March 4 in Britain with a military-grade nerve agent. Russia has denied involvement in the case.