Opinion: Moscow-US ties under strain over UK spy poisoning case

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It was only last week that the US President Donald Trump went against his advisers' words and phoned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to congratulate him over his victory in the presidential election.

Putin, too, had signaled his wish to improve historically frayed ties with the US, which worsened amid accusations that Moscow meddled in the 2017 US presidential elections. To mark the New Year, he had sent a message to Trump, hoping the two countries can develop long-term "pragmatic cooperative relations" on the basis of "equality and mutual respect."

Today, this seems like a distant past.

People exit the Permanent Russian Mission to the United Nations on March 26, 2018, in New York City. In a coordinated response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy in the UK, Western countries are expelling dozens of Russian diplomats. /VCG Photo.

Relations between Russia and the US, as well as a cohort of other Western countries, are deteriorating fast after over 20 capitals in Europe and North America announced they are expelling Russian diplomats in "solidarity" with the UK over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury – an attack which London and its allies are blaming Moscow for.

Russia has warned of retaliation, setting the stage for further escalation. Russia's Foreign Ministry has said that the US and Europe are on a path towards confrontation with Moscow, with the Kremlin warning the expulsions won't go unanswered.

Moscow specifically singled the US out, which alone is kicking out 60 Russian diplomats, holding it responsible for the worsening bilateral ties.

A brass plaque written in English and Cyrillic at the front gate of the Embassy of the Russian Federation on March 26, 2018, in Washington, DC. /VCG Photo.

"What the United States of America is doing today, they are destroying what little remained of US-Russian ties. I would add that all the responsibility for ruining Russian-American relations is on the United States of America,” said Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the United States.

Russia says it is clear the expulsion of their diplomats is based on political alliance – rather than evidence.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that they will analyse the Trump administration’s actions and present suggestions on retaliatory steps.

London and Washington are accusing Russia of using a Soviet-made nerve agent to attack Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia on March 4.

This year was supposed to be Russia's chance to reach out to the world by hosting the World Cup. Instead, recent developments are suggesting that isolation might be in the cards for Moscow.I