Because so many countries have now backed the UK in expelling Russian officials, the few who have chosen not to have now become conspicuous with their decision.

So which European nations have not expelled Russian diplomats and why?

There are some who say they are firmly behind the majority but cannot physically expel any diplomats for practical reasons:

Image: Police officers in protective suits and masks at the scene of the nerve agent attack

:: Portugal

Often referred to as Britain's oldest ally, Portugal is, more accurately, England's oldest ally, with the diplomatic friendship stretching back to 1147. However, Lisbon has chosen not to expel any Russians as a response to the Salisbury attack.


The Portuguese foreign ministry said this week that it "believes the coordination at the European level is the most effective means to respond to the gravity of the current situation".

It is not clear how many Russians diplomats are operating in Lisbon but it is likely to be small and it may be that the Portuguese could not find a security related reason for any expulsions.

:: Luxembourg

There are only a very small number of Russian staff at the country's mission in Luxembourg and it is understood that not one of them has been connected to espionage.

Luxembourg announced on Wednesday that it was recalling its ambassador to Russia and said it agreed with the analysis of Britain that Moscow was very likely to have been responsible for a nerve agent attack on British soil.

"Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn has decided to recall the Luxembourg ambassador to Moscow for consultations," the foreign ministry said.

:: Malta

Government spokesman Kurt Farrugia told Sky News that Malta is "full square behind the UK and the coordinated action".

He added: "Malta also supports actions by other countries to expel Russian envoys. We are not doing so ourselves because our diplomatic mission in Moscow is very small and any response by Russia would effectively terminate diplomatic relations.

"This operational decision does not reduce our support for the UK and our security partners. This position was communicated to the UK Government and the EU Council, who accepted this rationale."

However, Malta is known to have helped wealthy Russians obtain EU passports through a legal but shadowy and controversial scheme.

NATO joins nations in expelling Russian diplomats

:: Switzerland

A traditionally and staunchly neutral country, this non-EU nation has not expelled any Russian diplomats and there were no expectations that it would.

There are some countries known to have close ties to Russia. The Kremlin has fostered relations with particular EU nations (as well as political parities within EU states) in recent years in order to drive a wedge in the European Union and also to try to undermine the sanctions imposed on it after the annexation of Crimea.

:: Greece

Historical and religious ties between Greece and Russia are deep but the current Greek government has particularly close relations with the Kremlin which has alarmed the EU and NATO for some time.

Members of Greece's ruling Syriza Party are reported to have particular business and economic relationships with powerful Russian business elites. Its coalition partner, Anel, is openly pro-Kremlin too.

At the EU summit last week, the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said: "We have to express our solidarity to the UK, to the British people, but at the same time we need to investigate."

The Greek government has previously said it would never sanction a member of the UN's permanent Security Council.

:: Slovakia

This eastern European nation has meandered in its recent relations with Russia. Currently it appears to be taking a softer line with Moscow. In a parliamentary meeting, Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini described the expulsion of Russian diplomats as "theatrical gestures".

He said: "I want to assure all of you that Slovakia will act responsibly. But, on the other hand, we declared clearly that we will not yield to any pressure and do unnecessary theatrical gestures... Slovakia has already prepared possible further steps. We'll wait. Because the conviction in the high plausibility of Russian responsibility to the Slovak side alone is not enough."

:: Austria

Speaking to Russian news agency Sputnik following the announcements by other EU and European countries, Austria's government spokesman Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal said that Vienna would "not take any measures at the national level" and would not expel diplomats.

He said: "The reason for this is that we intend to keep open channels of dialogue with Russia. Austria is a neutral country and a kind of bridge between East and West. But we support the decision to recall the EU ambassador from Moscow."

However, the far-right FPO Party, which is part of the country's governing coalition, is known to have close ties to the Kremlin.

After the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea, the FPO said it was a "domestic Russian issue that does not need to concern the European Union". The FPO Party is in charge of Austria's foreign ministry.

How will Russia respond to the expulsions?

:: Slovenia

The Slovenian Foreign Minister, Karl Erjavec, issued a short statement this week saying simply "we stick to the position adopted by the European Council that it must be determined what actually has happened".

Mr Erjavec added that the issue would be discussed at a cabinet meeting later in the week.

The government in Ljubljana prides itself on good diplomatic relations it maintains with Russia. Late last year, the Slovenia Prime Minister said he hoped his country could "become a bridge between the two superpowers".

The country has been used before as host nation for talks between the US and Russia - in 2001, George W Bush met Vladimir Putin for the first time at a Slovenian summit.

:: Bulgaria

The current holder of the EU's rotating presidency has not expelled any diplomats but it has recalled its ambassador to Moscow for consultations.

Last week, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said the EU support for the UK was "a joint decision which we support", yet at the same time, the Bulgarian government has said it must remain neutral because of its position as holder of the EU presidency. Strong business ties between Bulgaria and Russia may have played on the decision too.

:: Cyprus

The small Mediterranean country holds billions of euros of Russian capital in its banks. Like Greece, it has also said in the past that it did not think it appropriate to sanction a member of the UN Security Council.