Lisbon, Apr 6 (IANS): Portugal has decided to expel 10 employees of the Russian Embassy in Lisbon.

The foreign ministry on Tuesday said in a statement that the employees have been declared "persona non grata," and must leave the country within two weeks, Xinhua reported citing Portugal's Lusa News Agency.

The Portuguese government notified the Russian ambassador of its decision on Tuesday afternoon.

Spain too has decided to expel 27 Russian diplomats and embassy staff in the next few days, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Tuesday.

Italy's foreign ministry also announced the expulsion of 30 Russian diplomats on Tuesday for what it called "reasons related to national security."

Similarly, Romania has also decided to expel 10 Russian diplomats.

"The Romanian authorities have decided to declare as personae non grata on the territory of Romania ten people working in the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bucharest, given that their activities and actions are contrary to the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961," the country's foreign ministry said in a press release.