Vladimir Putin was confronted by a British journalist over the poisoning of a former spy - and his reply was brutal

BBC

Vladimir Putin confronted by Steve Rosenberg.

• BBC journalist Steve Rosenberg asked Vladimir Putin about the poisoning of Sergei Skripal.
• The Russian president said: "Get to the bottom of things there first, then we'll talk about this."

A BBC journalist confronted Vladimir Putin about the poisoning of Sergei Skripal - and he received a brutal response from the Russian president.

Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg collared Putin at an agriculture event in Krasnodar, south-west Russia. He asked: "Is Russia behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal?"

Putin almost smirked at the reporter as he considered his answer. He said: "Look, we're busy here with agriculture. As you can see the aim is to create good conditions for people's lives and you ask me about some tragedies.

"Get to the bottom of things there first, then we'll talk about this."

You can watch the exchange here:

It comes just hours after British Prime Minister Theresa May said it was "highly likely" that Russia was behind the nerve agent attack on former spy Skripal in Britain last week.

She has given Moscow until midnight on Tuesday to come up with a meaningful response to the evidence gathered by British investigators.

Rosenberg was praised by fellow journalists for his gumption in doorstepping Putin at an event with little to do with Russia's international relations.