U.S. senators suggest expelling 300 Russian diplomats amid embassy dispute

FILE PHOTO: Russian and U.S. state flags fly near a factory in Vsevolozhsk, Leningrad Region, Russia March 27, 2019. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic and Republican senators urged President Joe Biden on Tuesday to expel 300 Russian diplomats from the United States if Moscow does not issue more visas for Americans to represent Washington in Russia.

The suggestion from the leaders of the Senate foreign relations and intelligence committees - Democrats Bob Menendez and Mark Warner and Republicans Jim Risch and Marco Rubio - would mark a sharp escalation in an ongoing dispute over embassy staffing amid tension between Washington and Moscow.