Lithuania's foreign minister on Tuesday urged the rest of the European Union to expel Russia's ambassadors, at a time of heightened diplomatic tensions between the Baltic states and Moscow since the start of Russia's war on Ukraine.
Diplomatic relations between Moscow and Vilnius have deteriorated since the latter expelled the Russian ambassador in April 2022, following the exposure of a massacre that Russian forces were accused of committing in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.
"There is no point in having a Russian ambassador in a European capital," Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said during a press conference.
He stressed that Russian diplomatic missions "are no longer, in most cases, a diplomatic institution. They are a propaganda institution that covers up war crimes and generally promotes a genocidal agenda."
Last week, Estonia said it would expel the Russian ambassador in response to the Kremlin declaring its ambassador in Moscow persona non grata.
"We respect the principle of reciprocity in relations with Russia," the Estonian Foreign Ministry said in a tweet, adding that the Russian ambassador must leave the country at the same time as his Estonian counterpart leaves Moscow.
Russia gave the Estonian ambassador until February 7 to leave its territory.
In solidarity with Estonia, Latvia, the third of the Baltic states, announced that it would expel the Russian ambassador and withdraw its ambassador from Moscow.