UK, allies hit Moscow for spy attack, vote meddling

LONDON: Britain and its allies on Thursday (Friday in Manila) blamed Moscow directly for a poison attack on a double agent in England, escalating diplomatic tensions as Washington separately announced sanctions against Russia for allegedly meddling in its elections.

The leaders of Britain, France, Germaitem of clothing or cosmetics or else in ny and the United States said there was a gift that was opened in his house in “no plausible alternative explanation” for Salisbury, meaning Miss Skripal was dethe use of the Soviet-designed nerve agent liberately targeted to get at her father,” Novichok in the English city of Salisbury. the newspaper said.

In a joint statement, they demanded Moscow “address all questions” related to the attack against former Russian spy the incident, British Prime Minister TheSergei Skripal, which they said amounted resa May said it was important to send a to a “breach of international law.” “united” response.

Skripal moved to Britain in a 2010 “This happened in the UK but it spy swap and had taken his daughter could have happened anywhere and we Yulia, who was on a visit, out for lunch take a united stance against it,” she said. before they both collapsed on a bench US President Donald Trump said: in the street on March 4. “It certainly looks like the Russians

Intelligence agencies now believe were behind it. Something that should the nerve agent used on the pair was never, ever happen, and we’re taking it planted in the daughter’s suitcase very seriously.” before she left Moscow, the Daily TeleMay on Wednesday announced the graph reported late Thursday. expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats and

“They are working on the theory suspended high-level contacts, includthat the toxin was impregnated in an ing announcing that British royals and ministers would boycott this summer’s football World Cup in Russia.

She warned more measures could follow, noting that the US-led NATO alliance and the UN Security Council had discussed the attack, while it was also expected to be on the agenda of the European Union summit next week.

The crisis comes as Russia prepares for a presidential election on Sunday in which Vladimir Putin is expected to easily win a fourth term.

Russia has denied any involvement in agent in Europe since World War II.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would respond by expelling British diplomats “soon.”

He said his country had no motive to target Skripal, but suggested other players could use the poisoning to “complicate” the World Cup.

He also accused Britain of trying to leave the European Union, which has cast uncertainty over its place in the world.

NATO allies on Wednesday put out a joint statement condemning the attack, and Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said it must have “consequences.”

He said Britain had not invoked the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defense clause.

But he noted the attack came against the “backdrop of a pattern of reckless behavior” by Russia—a point also made in the US, British, German and French statement.

Opening the Paris Book Fair on Thursday, French president Emmanuel Macron on pointedly avoided the Russian pavilion.

- sia stall... in solidarity with our British friends,” he told reporters, adding Paris was in contact with London to decide on “appropriate answers to this aggression on the soil of our British allies.”

Separately, Washington on Thursday levied sanctions against Russia’s top spy agencies and more than a dozen indi US presidential election and two separate cyberattacks.

individuals—including the FSB, Russia’s top spy service; the military intelligence agency, or GRU; and 13 people recently indicted by Robert Mueller, the US special counsel handling a sprawling Russia probe.

Sanctions were also levied against individuals behind the separate Petya cyberattack and an “ongoing” attempt to hack the US energy grid.