Deputy Head of the US Embassy in Moscow Bart Gorman outside the Russian Foreign Ministry building in MoscowWASHINGTON, Feb 17 > The United States considers the expulsion of Deputy US Ambassador Bart Gorman from Russia unprovoked, sees it as a step towards escalating tensions in bilateral relations and is considering retaliatory measures, an official representative of the State Department told RIA Novosti. «Russia's actions against the deputy head of our mission were unprovoked, we are considering them as a step towards escalation and are working on a response,» a high-ranking diplomat told the agency. The State Department indicated that Gorman's business trip to Russia had not yet ended at the time of the expulsion, and the diplomat had a valid visa. «He was in Russia for less than three years,» a US State Department spokesman said.
