Allies Condemn Attack

From the BBC:
"Russia spy: Allies condemn nerve agent attack"

The leaders of France, Germany, the US and UK say there is "no plausible alternative explanation" to Russia having been behind the nerve agent attack in the UK. They condemned the "first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War", calling it an assault on UK sovereignty. In Washington, US President Donald Trump said "it certainly looks like the Russians were behind it". The UK has expelled Russian diplomats. "We do hold Russia culpable for this brazen, brazen act and despicable act," Prime Minister Theresa May said during a visit to the site of the attack in Wiltshire. Mr Trump said it was a "very sad situation" that the US was taking "very seriously". In France, President Emmanuel Macron is to snub the official Russian stand at the Paris book fair on Thursday, officials said. Earlier Mr Macron said he would announce more measures in the coming days. Russia has denied any involvement and vowed a swift response to the expulsion of 23 of its diplomats, whom the UK said were operating as spies.  The nerve agent was used on a former Russian spy and his daughter in the city of Salisbury. Sergei Skripal, 66, and Yulia Skripal, 33, remain in a critical condition in hospital. The four nations say they "abhor the attack". The statement says: "It is an assault on UK sovereignty and any such use by a State party is a clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and a breach of international law. It threatens the security of us all." The nations urged Russia to "address all questions related to the attack" and provide all details about the nerve agent used.  It added: "Our concerns are also heightened against the background of a pattern of earlier irresponsible Russian behaviour.  "We call on Russia to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council to uphold international peace and security." Separately, the US has announced sanctions against Russian individuals and entities accused of trying to influence the 2016 election and carrying out cyber-attacks.  Russia says it had nothing to do with the attack and will respond to UK measures against it. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the UK was being "absolutely irresponsible". Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has vowed a response "very soon". Meanwhile Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has denied that either the Soviet Union or Russia ever had a programme to create the Novichok nerve agent identified as having been used, the Interfax news agency reported.  The Russian embassy in London said the decision to expel its diplomats was "unacceptable, unjustified and short-sighted". It also suggested on its Twitter feed that the UK could have the capacity to manufacture the nerve agent used in Salisbury. It said Russia closed all Soviet-era chemical weapons programmes in 1992 and some of the scientists involved were flown to other countries, including the UK. "To identify a substance, formula and samples are needed - means UK has capacity to produce suspected nerve agent," it said.

^ I believe that the Russian Government was behind the nerve agent attack in the UK. While it is good that the UK, the US, Germany and France are united in this - all other countries should be too. I am curious to see what, if anything, will happen next. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43415271