Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, 3 April, that he hoped a planned meeting of the global chemical weapons watchdog would help to defuse a major diplomatic row triggered by the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in the English town of Salisbury on 4 March.
Meanwhile, the head of Britain's military research centre has admitted that it was unable yet to say whether the military-grade nerve agent that poisoned the Russian double-agent last month had been produced in Russia.
On 30 March, Russia expelled 59 diplomats from Western countries as a retaliatory measure after several countries announced diplomatic sanctions against Russia.
- “We are interested in a full-fledged investigation. We want to be allowed into this investigation,” Vladimir Putin said on 3 April
- “The world will enter a Cold War situation,” if diplomatic measures continue, the Russian ambassador to Australia said on 28 March
- 27 nations and NATO announced expulsions of 158 Russian diplomats and Russian agents
- Donald Trump ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats and the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle
- On 4 March, Britain accused Russia of using a nerve agent to poison a former Russian double agent and his daughter on English soil
- While Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal remains in a critical but stable condition, his daughter Yulia is getting better
Putin Hopes Chemical Watchdog Meet Would End Skripal Row, Wants to Join Probe
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, 3 April, that he hoped a planned meeting of the global chemical weapons watchdog would help to defuse a major diplomatic row triggered by the poisoning of the former Russian double agent in England.
At Moscow's request, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will hold a special session on Wednesday, 4 April in the Hague on the Salisbury poisoning.
We have raised 20 questions for discussion (at the meeting). I hope that during this discussion a final line on what has happened will be drawn.Vladimir Putin in Ankara, Turkey
Moscow has said it wants to take part in the official British investigation into the poisoning.
We are interested in a full-fledged investigation. We want to be allowed into this investigation and we count on receiving relevant materials as the issue involves citizens of the Russian Federation.Vladimir Putin
The OPCW's executive council, which will meet on Wednesday, has 41 members, including Russia and Britain. Any decisions must be approved by two-thirds of members, which is generally difficult to achieve.
Diplomats say Russia will repeat its wish to be involved in the testing of the Salisbury samples and that it will otherwise not accept the outcome of testing done by the OPCW laboratories.
(Source: Reuters)
Unable to Say Yet Whether Nerve Agent Was Made in Russia: UK Military Research Boss
The head of Britain's military research centre said on Tuesday, 3 April, that it was unable yet to say whether the military-grade nerve agent that poisoned the Russian double-agent last month had been produced in Russia.
"We were able to identify it as Novichok, to identify that it was military-grade nerve agent," Gary Aitkenhead, chief executive of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down in England, told Sky News.
We have not identified the precise source, but we have provided the scientific info to government who have then used a number of other sources to piece together the conclusions you have come to.Gary Aitkenhead
However, he confirmed the substance required "extremely sophisticated methods to create, something only in the capabilities of a state actor".
He added: "We are continuing to work to help to provide additional information that might help us get closer to [the source] but we haven't yet been able to do that."
Aitkenhead said the British government had "other inputs" it could use to determine the origin of the nerve agent, some of them intelligence-based.
He reiterated that the substance could not have come from Porton Down.
A government spokesperson said on Tuesday: "We have been clear from the very beginning that our world leading experts at Porton Down identified the substance used in Salisbury as a Novichok, a military grade nerve agent.
This is only one part of the intelligence picture. As the Prime Minister (Theresa May) has set out ... this includes our knowledge that within the last decade, Russia has investigated ways of delivering nerve agents probably for assassination – and as part of this programme has produced and stockpiled small quantities of Novichoks; Russia’s record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations; and our assessment that Russia views former intelligence officers as targets.Government spokesperson
Skripal's daughter Yulia is getting better after spending three weeks in critical condition due to the nerve toxin attack at her father's home in Salisbury, the hospital where she is being treated said last week. Her father remained in a critical but stable condition.
(Source: Reuters)
Russia Expels 59 Diplomats from Western Countries
As a retaliatory measure, Russia on Friday, 30 March expelled diplomats from various countries in quick succession.
During the course of Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned senior embassy officials from Australia, Albania, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Croatia, Ukraine, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Canada and the Czech Republic.
The tentative list of diplomatic expulsions taken by Russia, in retaliation, are as follows:
- Denmark: 2
- Italy: 2
- Finland: 1
- Poland: 4
- Sweden: 1
- Czech Republic: 3
- Germany: 4
- Spain: 2
- Croatia: 1
- Ireland: 1
- Canada: 4
- France: 4
Meanwhile, Britain has been given a month to cut its diplomatic mission in Russia to the same size as the Russian mission in Britain.
US Says it May Respond to Russia's Expulsion
The US State Department said on Thursday Russia's decision to expel 60 US diplomats shows that Moscow is not interested in diplomacy, and Washington reserves the right to take further action.
"It's clear from the list provided to us that the Russian Federation is not interested in a dialogue on issues that matter to our two countries," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters. "We reserve the right to respond," she said.