Ireland says two diplomats expelled from Russia

Ireland's ambassador to Russia was summoned to Moscow's foreign ministry on Thursday and told that two diplomats have been asked to leave the country, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said.

Ireland asked four senior officials at the Russian Embassy to leave last week, one of a number of European Union countries to expel Russian diplomats following its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

"There is no justification for the taking of this measure. The staff at the Embassy of Ireland in Moscow do not have, nor are engaged in, any duties or functions which are incompatible with their diplomatic status," Coveney said in a statement.