Johnson: Putin is to blame for poisoning
BORIS Johnson yesterday accused Vladimir Putin of personally ordering the assassination of Sergei Skripal.
The Foreign Secretary said “our quarrel is with Putin’s Kremlin” and that it was “his decision” to order the murder bid.
Speaking during a visit to a west London military bunker with the Polish foreign minister, Johnson said: “We think it overwhelmingly likely that it was his decision to direct the use of a nerve agent on the streets of the UK, on the streets of Europe, for the first time since World War II.”
Russia denies involvement and said the accusations against Putin were “shocking and unforgivable”.
Russian ex-spy Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remain critically ill in hospital, after being found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury, Wiltshire, on March 4.
The UK Government have said they were poisoned with a nerve agent of a type developed by Russia called Novichok, and Prime Minister Theresa May said she believed Moscow was “culpable”.
Russia’s investigative committee said they had launched a probe into the attempted murder of Yulia – who they said was a Russian citizen – and the murder of Nikolai Glushkov in Britain.
The Kremlin continued to consider their response after the largest expulsion of diplomats since the Cold War was announced.
Speaking on Thursday, Putin said Russia was a “proud” nation “and will be in the future, too”. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov suggested the “provocation with Skripal” was an attempt to distract attention from Brexit.
Labour MP Stephen Kinnock said the World Cup should be postponed until 2019 and be moved out of
Russia.
It is likely it was his decision to direct the use of a nerve agent JOHNSON