Russia slams UK over EU support in spy row
Bloc recalls ambassadors from Moscow
Russia on Friday accused Britain of trying to force London’s allies to take “confrontational steps” after EU member states decided to recall the bloc’s envoy from Moscow and mulled further diplomatic action over a nerve attack row.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov slammed Britain for garnering EU support over the poisoning of a former double agent, suggesting that London’s focus was now on making “the crisis with Russia as deep as possible.”
At a summit in Brussels, EU leaders united behind British Prime Minister Theresa May in blaming Russia for the nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England, and agreed to recall their ambas- sadors to Moscow for consultations.
EU states are now considering whether to follow Britain’s lead in expelling Russian diplomats and even take other steps, with Lithuania and France among those indicating willingness to take action.
“As for the decision taken, we regret in this context that again such decisions are taken using the wording ‘highly likely’ and judgements are based on this,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“We don’t agree with this and we repeat again that Russia absolutely definitely has nothing to do with the Skripal case.”
Peskov said Russia did not know what “precise information the British side used when it discussed the topic of the Skripals with its colleagues.”
Russia “unfortunately is not able to receive any information at all directly on the so-called Skripal case,” Peskov said.
Russia’s top diplomat Lavrov for his part slammed Britain, saying its top officials “are feverishly trying to force allies to take confrontational steps.”
“The absence of which makes one think that all of this is a provocation, the investigation has not even been finished yet.”
May had pressed the importance of a united response to the March 4 poisoning and the 28 EU leaders at the summit in Brussels offered her their full support, agreeing “that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible.”