Trump, May, Merkel and Macron issue joint statement blaming Russia for Sergei Skripal poisoning.

LONDON - The leaders of United States, Britain, France and Germany have released a joint statement condemning Russia for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in England last week.

Donald Trump, Theresa May, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel all agreed that there was "no plausible alternative explanation" than that Russia was to blame for the attack.The leaders called on Russia to "live up to its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council."The statement marks a significant ramping up of tensions with Russia and comes as members of the Nato council meet to discuss the issue.It also follows several days worth of diplomacy by May following an initial reluctance from the French and US government's to publicly attribute the incident to Russia.

The joint statement in full

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