Putin blasts 'provocation' from UK - vows to make 'final decision' on UK-USA relationship
VLADIMIR Putin is facing the expulsion of more than 100 suspected Russian spies from
around the globe as world leaders rallied behind Britain's fightback after the Salisbury
nerve agent outrage.
Sixty "diplomats" have been ordered out of the US by President Donald Trump in the first
move in an extraordinary international wave of punitive action against the Kremlin.
And 18 other countries, including 14 members of the EU, followed suit in sending Embassy
officials home in the biggest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in history.
Theresa May welcomed the "great solidarity from our friends" around the world in standing
up to President Putin's regime.
"Together we have sent a message that we will not tolerate Russia's continued attempts
to flout international law and undermine our values," the Prime Minister said.
Mr Putin's Government hit back by describing the expulsions as "a provocative gestures"
and hinted about a string of tit-for-tat reprisals.
The Russian foreign ministry said: "This provocative gesture of notorious solidarity with London,
made by countries that preferred to follow in London's footsteps without bothering to
look into other circumstances of the incident, merely continues the policy of escalating
the confrontation."
Monday's expulsions follow a 10-day diplomatic blitz by Boris Johnson.
The Foreign Secretary has been in contact with counterparts in allied governments around
the world to explain the seriousness of the threat to world order posed by the Salisbury
poisoning.
He hailed the "extraordinary international response by our allies" last night.
"Russia cannot break international rules with impunity," he added.
Canada, Ukraine, Albania, Norway, the US and 14 EU nations followed Britain's lead in taking
action against suspected Russian spies.
Mrs May expelled 23 "undeclared intelligence officers" last week in retaliation for the
attack using a "military grade" nerve agent in Salisbury that left former double agent
Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia critically ill.
"Sadly, late last week doctors indicated that their condition is unlikely to change in the
near future and they may never recover fully," the Prime Minister told MPs.
"This shows the utterly barbaric nature of this act – and the dangers that hundreds
of innocent citizens in Salisbury could have faced."
Mrs May said investigations had shown that more than 130 people in Salisbury could have
been potentially exposed the Novichock nerve agent.
The Prime Minister said: "President Putin's regime is carrying out acts of aggression
against our shared values and interests within our continent and beyond.
She added: "As a European democracy, the United Kingdom will stand shoulder to shoulder with
our allies in the European Union and NATO to face down these threats together.
"We will defend our infrastructure, our institutions and our values against attempts to undermine
them.
"And we will act to protect our national security and to keep our people safe."
International leaders yesterday spoke out to back the British Government's suspicions
that the Russian state was behind the attack.
The White House said: "Today's actions make the United States safer by reducing Russia's
ability to spy on Americans and to conduct covert operations that threaten America's
national security.
"With these steps, the United States and our allies and partners make clear to Russia that
its actions have consequences."
European Council president Donald Tusk said "additional measures" - including further
expulsions - could not be excluded "in the coming days and weeks".
Danish prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said: "Russia has gone too far.
An assassination attempt in a European city with a Russian nerve agent is completely unacceptable."
Canada's government announced the expulsion of four Russian diplomats and refused entry
to three more.
Canadian foreign minister Chrystia Freeland said the four being expelled were "intelligence
officers or individuals who have used their diplomatic status to undermine Canada's security
or interfere in our democracy."
She described the Salisbury attack as a "despicable, heinous and reckless act, potentially endangering
the lives of hundreds".
"The nerve agent attack represents a clear threat to the rules-based international order
and to the rules that were established by the international community to ensure chemical
weapons would never again destroy human lives," she said.
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian said: "In solidarity with our British partners,
we have today notified the Russian authorities of our decision to expel four Russian personnel
with diplomatic status from French territory within one week."
Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz told a news conference that the diplomats
were to leave the country by April 3.
"Showing solidarity with Britain and other countries is the most important thing," he
said.
In Moscow, President Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would respond to the expulsion
on the "principle of reciprocity".
Russia has already ordered 23 British diplomats to leave in response to the expulsion of a
similar number of undeclared Russian intelligence officers from the UK.
In angry clashes in the Commons, Jeremy Corbyn was accused by a Labour MP of making false
claims about his track record on criticising Russia.
The Labour leader, who has been under fire for failing to accept Russian state culpability
for the attack used his response to the Prime Minister to finally acknowledge that there
was no other conclusion than Russia being directly or indirectly responsible.
But Mr Corbyn was challenged by backbencher, John Woodcock after the Labour leader claimed
he had been "a robust critic of the actions of the Russian government for more than 20
years".
Mr Woodcock intervened to say: "I've sat here reading his article in the Morning Star after
Russia annexed part of Ukraine, where the strongest criticism he makes there is 'on
Ukraine, I would not condone Russian behaviour or expansion, but it is not unprovoked'.
"And then into the usual criticism of the US and Nato and UK policy.
It's just not true."
Tory MPs screamed "more" after Mr Woodcock's remarks.
Mr Corbyn replied: "I thank my honourable friend for his usual helpful intervention.
Thank you very much."
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