Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
May seeks united EU over spy’s 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 the nerve-agent attack, some European leaders urged caution while the investigation continues.
Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia remain unconscious in critical but stable condition after the March 4 nerve agent attack in the city of Salisbury, which has sparked an eastwest diplomatic crisis reminiscent of the Cold War.
Health officials said Thursday that Detective Sgt. Nick Bailey, a police officer who became seriously ill after responding to the nerve agent attack, has been released from a Salisbury hospital.
Britain blames Moscow for the attack, which it says used a military-grade, Soviet-developed nerve agent, and has called Russia a growing threat to Western democracies.
Russia has fiercely denied allegations it poisoned Sergei Skripal — a former Russian intelligence officer convicted of spying for the U.K. — and his daughter.
May accused Russia on Thursday of staging “a brazen and reckless attack” and said “it is clear that the Russian threat doesn’t respect borders.”
She said “the incident in Salisbury was part of a pattern of Russian aggression against Europe and its near neighbors, from the western Balkans to the Middle East.”
Britain and Russia have expelled 23 of each other’s diplomats in a feud that shows no signs of cooling.
Russia’s ambassador to the U.K., Alexander Yakovenko, said his country “can’t take British words for granted.” He accused the U.K. of having a “bad record of violating international law and misleading the international community.”
“History shows that British statements must be verified,” he told reporters in London, demanding “full transparency of the investigation and full cooperation with Russia” and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Britain says it is complying with the international chemical-weapons watchdog. Experts from the OPCW have come to Britain to take samples of the nerve agent and examine blood from Skripals.
EU foreign ministers have already expressed their “unqualified solidarity” with Britain. But European politicians and leaders vary in how far they are willing to go in blaming Putin’s Kremlin.