The West shows Putin it will not be bullied

The co-ordinated international response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury has confounded those who doubted Britain’s allies would do anything beyond offer empty messages of support. The American decision to expel 60 diplomats from Washington and New York, and close the consulate in Seattle, was the most eye-catching and was linked as much to Russian espionage as to the nerve-agent attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal. It was even more unexpected in view of the congratulations offered by Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin on his re-election to the Kremlin last week.

The US president was criticised for failing to upbraid the Russian leader for what appeared to be a Moscow-ordered assassination attempt. But the assumption that he was not prepared to stand up to Mr Putin or punish Russia for its cyber-meddling and political interference now needs to be revised. The closure of the Seattle consulate is of particular interest since diplomats there have been linked to Russian spying on US high-tech businesses and nearby submarine bases.

The EU has also made good on its displeasure with Russia, expressed in the communique after last week’s summit in Brussels. After the bloc’s ambassador was recalled from Moscow, 14 member states have agreed to expel Russian diplomats. Several other countries, including Ukraine and Canada, have followed suit in the largest collective ejection of Russian spies ever.

This all marks a signal success for Theresa May, who has taken an implacable stand against Russia since the Skripals were found slumped on a bench. Her case that there was no plausible explanation for the Salisbury poisoning other than Russian involvement, both in supply and direction, was accepted by EU leaders in Brussels on Friday. More importantly, they have decided they must act in concert to prevent Mr Putin doing what he does best – divide and rule – and to show that Russia’s threat to the West’s security will not be tolerated.

As the Prime Minister said in the Commons, where MPS staged a debate on Russia and national security, we need to be clear-sighted and firm so that Mr Putim gets an unambiguous message. In this, Mrs May has shown commendable clarity and strong leadership. Above all, it shows the importance of a continued security partnership with the EU after Brexit.