Russia: US must explain spy arrest

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hits back at the US over the arrest of alleged Russian spies, saying Moscow needs an explanation from Washington.

“They have not explained to us what is going on. I hope they will,” Lavrov told journalists following talks with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman in al-Quds (Jerusalem), RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday.

US authorities on Monday announced that eleven people have been charged with alleged involvement in espionage activities for the Russian Federation within the United States.

Dubbing suspected spies as “unlawful agents of the Russian Federation within the United States” the US Department of Justice also said eight of them were taken into custody on Sunday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the report on the arrest of a group of suspected Russian spies as “controversial,” RIA Novosti reported.

“We are looking into the reports; they are controversial and require further clarification,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said without elaborating on any further details.

The move comes days after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited the United States, where he held talks with US President Barack Obama.

The meeting in which Medvedev was called a “solid and reliable partner” displayed warmer ties between two cold-war enemies.

Ties between the US and Russia had gone downhill during the Bush administration, predominantly over the Iraq war, while Medvedev and Obama have struck a more conciliatory tone in recent years.