Hunt in chemical weapons warning

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned Russia it will pay a “high price” if it continues to use chemical weapons following the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

Mr Hunt said he had had a “frank exchange of views” with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov when they met at the UN General Assembly in New York.

FOREIGN SECRETARY Jeremy Hunt has warned Russia it will pay a “high price” if it continues to use chemical weapons following the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

Mr Hunt said he had had a “frank exchange of views” with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov when they met at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“It was pretty tough because it is not acceptable for Russia to instruct two GRU agents to use chemical weapons on British soil,” he told Sky News. On Wednesday, the investigative group Bellingcat identified one of the suspects behind the attack as Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga – a highly-decorated officer in the GRU, the Russian military intelligence service.

The Government has declined to comment on the report, although it has previously said the two suspects wanted for the attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were GRU officers. Mr Hunt said he believed the Russians had made the assassination attempt because they felt they had “got away” with the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, another former Russian agent, in London in 2005.

They appeared not to have anticipated the strength of the reaction to the Salisbury incident, with Britain marshalling the support of 28 countries around the world, who between them expelled more than 150 Russian diplomats.

“Our message to Russia is very straightforward: If you do this, the price will be too high,” he said.

“They paid a very high diplomatic price but they need to understand that it will not be a comfortable place for Russia in the world if this is the way they behave.”

Asked if he thought President Vladimir Putin had approved the attack, he said: “We all think that it’s unlikely that a great deal happens in Russia without the nod coming from highest levels.”

Meanwhile it has been announced that Zizzi’s restaurant, where the Skripals ate shortly before they fell ill with Novichok poisoning, is to re-open later this year after undergoing decontamination.

Our message is: If Russia keeps doing this, the price will be too high. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.