Cold war heating up over poisoning
It looks more than likely that Russia was responsible for the recent assassination attempt that took place in Salisbury – an attempt that has left two Russians and a British police officer fighting for their lives.
With our Government poised to decide what action to take against Russia, I would expect that at the very least diplomatic sanctions will be imposed and our relationship with Russia will deteriorate.
In less than three months the England football team and many of its supporters will be flying out to Russia for the World Cup. Our Government needs to decide now whether it is safe for them to travel to Russia, especially under current circumstances.
Nigel Moores, Manchester
On becoming Prime Minister, Mrs May said she wanted an arms-length relationship with Russia, but since then some £800,000 has been accepted by the Conservative Party from Russian donors (Mirror, March 12). Shouldn’t this money now be returned to those Russian donors? It seems highly unlikely such a rare poison could have come from a country other than Russia and equally unlikely to have done so without the tacit approval of the Russian President.
Valerie Crews Beckenham, Kent
I’m concerned about the advice being given to people in Salisbury, following last week’s nerve agent attack, to wash all their clothes and to wipe down mobiles, handbags etc with baby wipes. If this nerve agent is so dangerous, and I have no doubt it is, what about the water from those washing machines going into the public waste water system? How safe are the public? I think there are many questions that need to be answered.
C Wilkinson, Birmingham
Here we go again. The prelude to another Cold War with Russia. It has been simmering for some time and the spy scandal in Salisbury has tipped the precarious balance. Now we can now demonise Putin and Russia with all the outrage we can muster. No doubt Boris will make an ideological onslaught worthy of his position as Foreign Secretary and defender of the free world.
It’s rather sad really to see two such important countries bickering like children. Will nations ever grow up?
Barry Watts, Dover, Kent
One thing that really concerns me about the nerve agent attack on the former spy and his daughter, is why it has taken so long for the authorities to issue warnings to local people who might have been contaminated by this highly toxic substance. It is more than a week since the incident yet Public Health England have only just seen fit to give instructions about washing clothes and belongings.
M Henderson, Chippenham, Wilts
God knows, there can be zero light relief to be drawn from the poisoning of the two Russians in Wiltshire, but one unintended consequence will be a huge boost to tourism in Salisbury. In my case, it’s two decades since I visited, and I now want to go there again. That American mogul was wiser than he knew when he declared there’s no
such thing as bad publicity.
Dai Woosnam, Grimsby, North East Lincs
What is there for the Government to actually do about the spy poisoning outrage? Start World War Three? Our own Government is in cahoots with Russian oligarchs, so I doubt they have any intentions of ruining their “special relationship”.