Great Britain - Russia: What Will the Scandal Around Skripal Lead to?

• 03.21.2018, 13:05
•  Europe,  World

Sputnik International

The Swedish Foreign Ministry will call the Russian ambassador to Stockholm. The reason was Moscow's statements that the kingdom could be a source of substance that was poisoned by the former double agent and ex-spy Sergei Skripal.

Earlier, referring to this incident, Russian Foreign Ministry official representative Maria Zakharova, said that "the most likely source ... of the chemical are those countries that have been conducting intensive research in this area since the late 1990s till now. According to her, these countries are the UK, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Sweden, "the United States can also be included." Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström called Zakharova's statement unacceptable. Zakharova added that all statements by the British in the case of Skripal are a continuation of the anti-Russian campaign that began several years ago and is related to Russia's actions in Syria.

Despite Zakharova's statements, the arguments of the British side were enough for the United States and France, who expressed unshakable support to their NATO ally. Poland also expressed full support to London. The African countries and a number of other non-permanent members of the UN Security Council limited to conservative estimates, calling for a thorough investigation.

The EU, in turn, also expressed its unconditional solidarity with Britain. The EU statement calls on Russia to answer all questions asked by British investigators, as well as fully disclose information on the history of the development of poisonous substances such as "Novichok."

IT should be noted, that Russian president Vladimir Putin has already expressed readiness for cooperation in the investigation. At the same time the Russian leader stressed that there must be interest on the other hand as well. However, Putin rejected the accusations of Great Britain, noting that Russia would not have allowed itself such an action, especially on the eve of the presidential elections and the World Cup.

Despite Putin's statements about his willingness to cooperate, the UK doubts that the Russian authorities, expressing a desire to take part in this investigation, are "sincere in their intentions." This was announced by British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson. He said that London has evidence that over the past 10 years, Russia on its territory has been producing poisonous substance "Novichok". He noted that the British side prefers to cooperate with experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and not with Russian investigators. According to the British side, the substance will be examined in international laboratories, where recognized experts work. This process will take at least two weeks.

It should be reminded that on March 4, the former double agent and ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia were found unconscious in the center of the British city of Salisbury. According to the British authorities, they were poisoned with the "Novichok" allegedly produced in Russia.

British Prime Minister Theresa May accused Moscow of being involved in the incident  and announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats. In addition, May announced the termination of bilateral contacts at a high level.

Russia responded by announcing 23 employees of the British embassy as persona non grata and withdrawing consent to the opening of the British Consulate General in St. Petersburg, and also announced the closure of the British Council. Moscow calls the accusations of Britain an unsubstantiated provocation. RF Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia requested London for investigation materials, but did not receive a clear answer.

It is possible that the current disagreements between London and Moscow could escalate from a diplomatic scandal into an economic conflict, especially given the fact that British Prime Minister Theresa May has already stated that she intends to reduce her country's dependence on Russian gas.