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UK must prove Russian role in spy poisoning or apologise, Kremlin says UK must prove Russian role in spy poisoning or apologise, Kremlin says
(about 2 hours later)
Britain must prove Russia’s involvement in the poisoning of the former double agent Sergei Skripal or apologise, the Kremlin has said. The Kremlin has insisted the UK must prove Russia’s role in the poisoning of a former spy or apologise, as the EU calls on Moscow to provide “full and complete disclosure of its novichok programme” to international experts.
“Sooner or later these unsubstantiated allegations will have to be answered for: either backed up with the appropriate evidence or apologised for,” the presidential spokesman said on Monday. The demands for proof came as a team of international experts began a visit to Porton Down in Wiltshire on Monday to assess the nerve agent used to poison Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) were invited by the UK to verify the nerve agent, but it will take at least two weeks before they have results.
Dmitry Peskov’s comments came as the European Union condemned the poisoning in Salisbury of the Russian former spy and his daughter Yulia, and the British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, described Moscow’s denial of responsibility for the attack as absurd. During a meeting of 28 European foreign ministers in Brussels, the EU issued a statement expressing “unqualified solidarity with the UK”. But they stopped short of threatening sanctions against Russia and avoided pinning the blame on the Kremlin.
“The lives of many citizens were threatened by this reckless and illegal act,” EU foreign ministers said in a statement in Brussels, where they were briefed by Johnson on the latest developments surrounding the 4 March poisoning that left the pair in critical condition. The bloc said it took “extremely seriously the UK government’s assessment that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible”. This did not go as far as an earlier joint statement by France, Germany, the US and UK, which concluded it was “highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack”.
Without explicitly blaming Russia or threatening any repercussions, the ministers called on Russia to urgently address British questions over its novichok nerve agent programme, and expressed “unqualified solidarity” with Theresa May’s government. The EU called on Russia “to address urgently the questions raised by the UK and the international community and to provide immediate, full and complete disclosure of its novichok programme to the OPCW. The use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances is completely unacceptable and constitutes a security threat to us all.”
Johnson told reporters that “Russian denials grow increasingly absurd”, with contradictory claims about whether Russia produced the novichok nerve agent used in the attack. The EU statement came as Russia demanded proof it was behind the Salisbury attack. “Sooner or later these unsubstantiated allegations will have to be answered for: either backed up with the appropriate evidence or apologised for,” Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said on Monday.
Boris Johnson welcomed the EU’s “unqualified solidarity”, having condemned Moscow’s “increasingly absurd” denials, citing its contradictory claims about Russian production of novichok.
“What people can see is that this is a classic Russian strategy of trying to conceal the needle of truth in a haystack of lies and obfuscation.”“What people can see is that this is a classic Russian strategy of trying to conceal the needle of truth in a haystack of lies and obfuscation.”
Johnson said many EU countries had been victims of “malign Russian behaviour” and that Moscow was “not fooling anybody any more”. The foreign secretary said many EU countries had been victims of “malign Russian behaviour” and that Moscow was “not fooling anybody any more”.
May and EU leaders are expected to discuss the attack at a summit in Brussels on Thursday night. Theresa May and EU leaders are expected to discuss the attack at a summit in Brussels on Thursday night.
Peskov made his comments in response to a question about whether the exacerbation of tensions with the west had boosted Putin’s performance in Sunday’s presidential elections, which he won by a landslide. The EU’s decision not to rush to sanctions was not a surprise, as several ministers had expressed the need for more evidence.
“I wouldn’t use the phrase ‘exacerbation of tensions with the west’. It’s a question of this stream of slander, that is hard to explain and difficult to understand the motivation for, from the British side towards Russia,” he said. Spain’s Alfonso Dastis said: “We think now the time is for an extended examination of all the elements involved, with the participation of the OPCW.” Belgium’s foreign minister, Didier Reynders, said it was necessary to put pressure on Russia to take part in a proper inquiry.
Putin had rejected as “nonsense” allegations by London and its allies that Russia was behind the attack on the Skripals, which also left a British police officer seriously ill. Meanwhile, the Swedish foreign minister dismissed Russian claims that Sweden was the source of the nerve agent as “ridiculous and totally unfounded”. Margot Wallström said Russia was “trying to make some kind of diversion from the real issues”.
International chemical weapons experts visited the UK on Monday to take samples of the Soviet-designed military grade nerve agent novichok for independent testing. Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, said Russia would remain a difficult partner for the EU, and questioned the fairness of Sunday’s presidential elections, which Putin won by a landslide.
The Kremlin’s demand for proof from the UK came in response to a question about whether the exacerbation of tensions with the west had boosted Putin’s performance.
Dmitry Peskov said: “I wouldn’t use the phrase ‘exacerbation of tensions with the west’. It’s a question of this stream of slander, that is hard to explain and difficult to understand the motivation for, from the British side towards Russia.”
Putin had rejected as “nonsense” allegations that Russia was behind the attack on the Skripals, which also left a British police officer seriously ill.
Last week Britain, France, Germany and the US issued a joint statement blaming Russia for the first offensive use of chemical weapons in Europe since the second world war.Last week Britain, France, Germany and the US issued a joint statement blaming Russia for the first offensive use of chemical weapons in Europe since the second world war.
Sergei SkripalSergei Skripal
RussiaRussia
Foreign policyForeign policy
European UnionEuropean Union
EuropeEurope
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