Russia has decided to expel 60 US diplomats and close the US consulate in St. Petersburg in response to US actions against Russia in the case of the poisoning of the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal. Russia will close down the US consulate in St. Petersburg and expel 60 American diplomats as it takes tit-for-tat measures against all the nations that have expelled Russian diplomats, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said on Thursday. The Russian foreign ministry summoned the US ambassador in Moscow to inform him of the response to the expulsion of Russian diplomats. Lavrov stated that Russia will respond similarly to the countries that expelled its diplomats. Russia has declared 60 employees of the US Embassy in Moscow and two staff members of the Consulate General in Yekaterinburg personae non gratae, they will have to leave the country by April 5, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. A Russian law enforcement committee which is running an investigation into Skripal’s poisoning said it has sent a request to Britain to provide Moscow with legal assistance. Moscow is seeking "the British colleagues to perform a number of procedural actions aiming at establishing the circumstances of the crime, as well as provide copies of the materials of the criminal investigation". Committee’s spokeswoman said the Russian asked London to provide it "with the results of the inspection of the place where Yulia Skripal were found unconsciousness as well as with the results of her medical examination.” However, Moscows request for samples of the chemical substance used to poison Skripal was rejected, and Russia repeatedly criticized Britains refusal to involve Russian investigators in the case, or to help the Russian consulate in London to obtain information and visit Yulia Skirpal. The Kremlin is ready to cooperate with "any party working to ease tensions in the current crisis” and over the past days, it was noted that the Russian tone seemed more flexible and calm. Russia is now "carefully studying each step," a Russian diplomat told Asharq Al-Awsat. The source added that there is a conviction in Moscow that US and UK led the campaign against Russia, but some countries that took “solidarity” measures told Russia that it does not want an escalation with Moscow. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Vienna might be prepared to act as a mediator to settle the spat between Britain and Russia. Austrian Foreign Minister Karen Kniessel offered her countrys mediation in resolving the crisis between Russia and Britain. Austria is ready to act as a mediator in settling the differences between the UK and Russia, she said."It is important for us to pursue such diplomacy, which allows us to maintain dialogue," she said. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Thursday shrugged off a "surprise" threat against London, and announced a “gift to Britain” which will be declared. However, she stressed that the United States has no right to expel diplomats accredited at the UN headquarters and Washington did not implement the necessary procedures for that. The spokeswoman said that Moscow has begun to feel a link between provocations in the case of Skripal and the situation in Syria. On banning journalists of Russian Zvezda TV channel from covering the European summit, Zakharova indicated that the West is dealing with Russian journalists as spies. She noted that they should remember that "the Russian Foreign Ministry has a lot of information about the activities of Western journalists in Russia and some of these cases have reached the courts.” Russias foreign intelligence chief Sergey Naryshkin acknowledged that "among the representatives of the Russian diplomatic missions there are intelligence officers, but they are few, and they were providing security for Russian embassies." He said the expulsion of the diplomats is a provocation from a well-known group of countries that are working to create an atmosphere of hatred against Russia, stressing that “the response is coming, and will be firm.” Russian concerns about British and Western measures also tackled economic sides with the Kremlin spokesman discussing measures being considered by London and Washington aimed at Russian assets, including a ban on the issuance of sovereign bonds on the London Stock Exchange. A parliamentary committee will investigate suspicious funds paid in British property worth 880 million pounds purchased by Russian nationals. The Treasury Committee said it would investigate economic crimes in Britain after allegations that London has become the preferred destination for money laundering operations. Russia is closely watching a report that British Prime Minister Theresa May may be considering limiting London’s role in marketing Russian debt to investors, Kremlin spokesman said on Thursday. “We are watching this very closely. Indeed it is a very important matter that probably concerns (these) countries’ image as reliable economic partners,” Peskov said of the UK and US warnings. Peskov’s statements came after British newspaper The Guardian reported on Wednesday that May had agreed to consider a ban on the City of London helping Russia sell government debt in the wake of the poisoning of a Russian former spy in England. The spy and his daughter were exposed with nerve gas in their home Britains counter terrorism unit announced that Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned with a deadly nerve agent left on their front door. Dead of the forces counter terrorism unit, Dean Haydon, said: “At this point in our investigation, we believe the Skripals first came into contact with the nerve agent from their front door. We are therefore focusing much of our efforts in and around their address. Those living in the Skripals.” BBC’s Security correspondent Gordon Corera said the highest concentration was found on the Skripals door handle, and could have been administered through a "gloopy substance which could have been smeared on to that door handle". He added it would explain why the nerve agent may have been found on the Skripals car or the restaurant in which they had eaten which has been cordoned off by detectives.