Demand to see nerve gas is denied

LONDON— Russia on Tuesday dismissed accusations of any involvement in the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter as “nonsense,” saying it will cooperate with a British investigation only if it receives samples of the nerve agent believed to have been used.

Police, meanwhile, said the investigation of who poisoned Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, will last many weeks and that they are not ready to identify any persons of interest in the inquiry. The father and daughter remain in critical condition in a Salisbury hospital.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said Russia’s involvement is “highly likely,” and she gave the country a deadline of midnight Tuesday to explain its actions in the case. She is reviewing a range of economic and diplomatic measures in retaliation for the assault with what she identified as the military-grade nerve agent Novichok.

Her Downing Street office said she discussed the Salisbury incident with President Trump, and that the U.S. was “with the U.K. all the way” in agreeing that Russia “must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow that his country’s requests to see samples of the nerve agent have been turned down.

“We have already made a statement to say this is nonsense,” he said. “We have nothing to do with this.”