May seeks united EU against Russia over spy poisoning
BRUSSELS — British Prime Minister Theresa May tried to rally European Union leaders into a unified stance Thursday against Russia, saying the poisoning of a former spy on English soil shows that Moscow poses a long-term threat to the West.
But as Russia denied responsibility and slammed Britain’s investigation into expelled 23 of each other’s the nerve-agent attack, diplomats in a feud that some European leaders shows no signs of cooling. urged caution while the inRussia’s ambassador to vestigation continues. the U. K., Alexander
Sergei Skripal and his Yakovenko, said Thursday daughter Yulia remain unthat his country “can’t take conscious in critical but staBritish words for granted.” ble condition after the He accused the U.K. of March 4 nerve agent attack having a “bad record of in the city of Salisbury, violating international law which has sparked an eastand misleading the interwest diplomatic crisis reminational community.” niscent of the Cold War. “History shows that
Health officials said British statements must be Thursday that Detective Sgt. verified,” he told reporters in Nick Bailey, a police officer London, demanding “full who became seriously ill transparency of the investiafter responding to the gation and full cooperation nerve agent attack, has been with Russia” and the Orreleased from a Salisbury ganization for the Prohibhospital. ition of Chemical Weapons.
Britain blames Moscow Britain says it is complyfor the attack, which it says ing with the international used a military-grade, Sovichemical-weapons watchet-developed nerve agent, dog. Experts from the and has called Russia a OPCWhave come to Britain growing threat to Western to take samples of the nerve democracies. agent and examine blood
Russia has fiercely denied from the unconscious Skriallegations it poisonedpals. Sergei Skripal — a former May will urge the 27 Russian intelligence officer other leaders at an EU sumconvicted of spying for the mit in Brussels to make a U.K. — and his daughter. strong statement against
May accused Russia on Russian President Vladimir Thursday of staging “a Putin and to bolster Europebrazen and reckless attack” an defenses against Kremlin and said “it is clear that the cyber-meddling and other Russian threat doesn’t reaggression. spect borders.” EUforeign ministers have
She said “the incident in already expressed their “unSalisbury was part of a patqualified solidarity” with tern of Russian aggression Britain. against Europe and its near But European politicians neighbors, from the western and leaders vary in how far Balkans to the Middle East.” they are willing to go in
Britain and Russia have blaming Putin’s Kremlin. Russia’s ambassador to U.K., Alexander Yakovenko, says that U.K. has a record of “misleading” other countries
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave May strong backing after meeting her on the sidelines of the EU summit. The British prime minister’s office said they agreed “there is no plausible explanation other than that the Russian state was responsible.”
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, whose former Soviet state shares a border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, also offered her backing to Britain and said she was weighing whether to expel Russian diplomats from her country over the attack.
German politician Manfred Weber, leader of the biggest group in the European Parliament, said Putin “wants to destabilize the European idea,” and Europe must be strong in its response.
ButGreekPrimeMinister Alexis Tsipras was more cautious. He said “we have to express our solidarity to the U.K., to the British people, but at the same time we need to investigate.”
Putin’s office said Thursday that Tsipras had called Putin to congratulate himon his re-election and discuss issues, including the Salisbury poisoning.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said he wanted to hear what May had to say before making up his mind.