Politics
19:57, 13-Aug-2018
Russian foreign ministry: Skripal case allegations 'groundless'
Updated
19:37, 16-Aug-2018
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Russia’s foreign ministry on Monday said allegations of Moscow’s involvement in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the English town of Salisbury – an event which led to a new round of US sanctions against Russia – were groundless.
“We see the groundless allegations of Russia’s involvement in the Salisbury incident as another attempt to paint our country as a state which approaches its international obligations in an irresponsible fashion,” the ministry said in a statement.
Washington said on Wednesday it would impose fresh sanctions on Russia by the end of August after it determined that Moscow had used a nerve agent against Skripal and his daughter in Britain.
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Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russia's GRU military intelligence service, and his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, were found slumped unconscious on a bench in the southern English city of Salisbury in March after a liquid form of the Novichok type of nerve agent was applied to his home's front door.
Moscow has denied any involvement in the attack.
London did not buy it. The UK responded in May that the Russian state is responsible for trying to kill Skripal with Novichok, a lethal nerve agent developed by the Soviet military.
Many other countries including the United States stood with the UK and showed their stance by expelling some Russian diplomats.
Moscow responded with the announcement of expulsion of diplomats from 23 countries.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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