President Macron said the threat from clandestine Russian operations “calls for a co-ordinated, determined response from the EU and its member states”

The United States and up to 20 European countries are preparing to expel Russian diplomats linked to Moscow espionage networks.

The unprecedented co-ordinated action will begin on Monday with the recall of the European Union’s ambassador to Moscow for four weeks.

President Trump’s National Security Council recommended last night that a yet-to-be determined number of Russian diplomats be expelled from the US in response to the Salisbury attack. Mr Trump is expected to take a final decision next week.

During four hours of talks on Thursday night, Theresa May rallied France, Germany, Lithuania and Ireland behind a robust response designed to damage a web of Russian operations identified by British intelligence.

“We have been throughout sharing on intelligence channels what we can share with our