President Trump Donald John TrumpBubba Wallace to be driver of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin NASCAR team Graham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE's decision to expel dozens of Russian diplomats from the U.S. will not necessarily help guard against Moscow's efforts to meddle in American elections, the State Department said Tuesday.

Heather Nauert, a spokeswoman for the department, said the U.S. still believes Russia is intent on interfering in foreign elections and would likely continue to do so, even after the diplomatic expulsions Monday.

"We can’t say that the United States is going to be any safer from its election [meddling] as a result," Nauert said at a department briefing. "Russia has long arms, Russia has lots of tentacles."

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"We imagine that they will continue to have an interest in our elections, but also many other nations' elections, as well," she said.

Her comments came a day after Trump moved to eject 60 Russian officials believed to be spies operating in the U.S. as part of a coordinated effort by two dozen countries to punish Moscow for the poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil.

That move was not tied to the assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia sought to sow chaos and division during the 2016 presidential campaign. Former President Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the U.S. in late 2016 for that meddling.

The Russian removals on Monday, however, marked the largest such expulsion to date, surpassing the days of the Cold War.

Multiple countries, particularly in Europe, have also kicked out Russian officials in retaliation for the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury, England, earlier this month.

Western officials have blamed Russia for that attack, pointing in particular to the fact that a Soviet-era nerve agent was used.

Moscow has denied any role in the attack. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov vowed on Tuesday to respond to the recent slew of diplomatic expulsions, though he did not say what that could entail.