Edeson Online News: Vladimir Putin Of Russia In The Eye Of The Western Storm

Wednesday, 21 March 2018

Vladimir Putin Of Russia In The Eye Of The Western Storm

The United States and two major European allies on Thursday formally backed Britain ’ s claims that Russia likely was responsible for a chemical toxin attack against a former spy living in England , calling it the “ first offensive use of a nerve agent ” in Europe since World War II .

The joint statement from the leaders of France , Germany , the United States and Britain signaled a further ratcheting of international pressure on Russia that has been mounting since former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter , Yulia, were found comatose on March 4.

In the statement , the four leaders said they shared the view of British investigators that “ there is no plausible alternative explanation” for the attack . They added that “ Russia ’ s failure to address the legitimate request by the U . K . government further underlines its responsibility. ”

Skripal was jailed in Russia in 2006 for selling state secrets to British intelligence but he was released in 2010 as part of a high - profile spy swap. Skripal , who was convicted in Russia of selling state secrets to Britain , and his daughter Yulia , were poisoned in the southern city of Salisbury. Both are in a critical but stable condition in hospital. Officials and pundits in Moscow have issued a steady stream of denials and counterclaims , a tactic that continued Thursday.

Russia has announced the expulsion of 23 British diplomats as a row escalated with Britain over a nerve -agent attack on a former double agent , Sergei Skripal and his daughter on British soil. The Foreign Ministry in Moscow said the move was in retaliation for Britain ’ s decision to expel the same number of Russian diplomats on Wednesday. Britain ’ s action was sequel to the use of a Russian- developed nerve agent to poison Skripal and daughter .

Russia ’ s deputy foreign minister , Sergei Ryabkov, told the Interfax news agency later Thursday that Russia ceased development of new chemical weapons immediately after joining the Chemical Weapons Convention , which was signed in 1993. He also insisted that neither Russia nor its predecessor , the Soviet Union, developed a nerve agent called Novichok , and he dismissed the accusations as a pretext for the United States to delay the final destruction of its chemical weapons stockpiles .

Russia declared last year that it had finished destroying its chemical weapons stockpiles and chided the United States for lagging behind. A 2012 deadline called for complete destruction of the weapons , but both sides failed to meet it. The United States has said it intends to finish the process by 2023. Novichok was believed to have been developed in the late 1980s , as the Soviet Union was negotiating the convention , to skirt the agreement ’ s requirements.

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