Politics
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Theresa May to expel Russian diplomats
- Theresa May to expel Russian diplomats in retaliation against for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal.
- NATO releases a joint statement calling on Russia to answer questions about the attack.
- United Nations Security Council to meet on Wednesday evening to discuss Russia's use of nerve agents.
- Russia calls Britain's actions a "very serious provocation".
LONDON - The British government is to expel 23 Russian diplomats in retaliation for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, Theresa May said today.
In a statement to parliament, May accused the diplomats of being Russian spies and said it would be the single biggest expulsion for 30 years.
She will also freeze the assets of Russians under suspicion of undermining the UK, saying there "is no place for their money in the UK."
"For those who wish to do us harm, my message is clear. You are not welcome here," May said.
She said members of the Royal family would not attend the upcoming World Cup in Russia.
The prime minister accused the Russian state of being guilty of an "unlawful use of force... against the uk"
"Their response has demonstrated complete disdain for these events. They have provided no credible explanation," she told MPS.
The prime minister addressed MPs on Wednesday after her deadline for Russia to give a "credible" explanation for Skripal's death passed at midnight on Tuesday.
May's statement followed a joint declaration by all 29 Nato countries calling on Russia to "address the UK's questions" about the attack and warning that any use of nerve agents would be a "threat to international peace and security."
The United Nations Security Council is also due to convene a special meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss the alleged use of nerve agents by Russia.
However, Russia warned Britain against making any further "provocation" against them.
The Russian Ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko told Sky News that Britain's actions were "unacceptable" and "a very serious provocation."
He also suggested that there would be swift response from Russia to the expulsions.
Russia also accused the UK of breaching the chemical weapons convention by refusing to supply a sample from the nerve agent used against Skripal. However, a spokesman for May insisted that the government had "fully complied with all its obligations under the chemicals weapons convention," adding that there was no obligation in the convention for the UK to provide Russia with a sample.
The conflict risked escalating further on Tuesday after another Russian exile, and critic of Putin, was found dead in London.
Nikolai Glushkov, 69, was found at his home in southwest London on Monday with the Times reporting a friend of Glushkov suggesting that "there were signs of strangulation or choking" on the body.
The prime minister has already spoken to the UK's leading allies, including the French president Macron and the US President Donald Trump.
A spokesperson for May said that Trump had told her that "the US was with the UK all the way" but caveated his support with a call for more evidence, saying that "the Russian Government must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used.".
May also drew the of EU council president Donald Tusk, who tweeted on Wednesday that he expressed "my full solidarity with PM Theresa May in the face of the brutal attack inspired, most likely, by Moscow".
Conflict could trigger "something we can't control"
UK Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood warned on Tuesday that the conflict risks spinning out of control.
According to the Times, Ellwood warned that "It's imperative we work with our allies to avoid triggering something we can't control."
A former spy chief also warned May against launching any cyber conflict with Russia. Robert Hannigan, the former director of GCHQ, said that "starting a cyberconflict is not in anyone's interests," adding that "we need to be sure that anything we do is consistent with our values."