Detectives investigating the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia are focusing on their home address, believing the nerve agent came into contact with their front door. Meanwhile, relations between the UK and Russia continue to worsen as the latter continues to vehemently deny the poisoning allegations.

Detectives believe nerve agent came into contact with former spy's house 0:53

THE Russian ex-spy and his daughter left critically ill in a nerve agent attack three weeks ago were probably poisoned at the front door of their home in southwestern England, British police say.

It was the first time police have said where they thought Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia might have been poisoned.

It was initially believed the pair had been poisoned in public near a supermarket in the Salisbury area in Britain.

The highest concentration of nerve agent found so far was on the Skripals’ front door in Salisbury, and detectives plan to focus their investigation in the surrounding area, London’s Metropolitan Police force said in a statement. “At this point in our investigation, we believe the Skripals first came in contact with the nerve agent from their front door,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon said in the statement.

MORE: Australia expels two Russian diplomats as fallout from spy attack continues

Police have also searched a variety of sites around Salisbury, including a pub, a restaurant and a cemetery.

Britain has blamed Russia for the attack, triggering the expulsion of about 150 Russian diplomats from the U.K., U.S. and their Western allies. Russia has vowed to respond, but a senior diplomat said Wednesday there is no hurry to retaliate. Russia vehemently denies Britain’s accusation that it was behind the March 4 attack.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA Novosti state news agency that Moscow is “thoughtfully and thoroughly” considering its response.

Separately, he was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying the expulsions were directed by London and Washington, adding that other nations succumbed to their pressure. He added that “all options are on the table” regarding Russia’s response.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that Russia’s response “will suit the interests of Russia.”

President Donald Trump spoke with British Prime Minister Theresa May about the co-ordinated effort by Western allies to expel Russian intelligence operatives.

The White House said the leaders agreed Wednesday that dismantling Russian spy rings is a priority to “curtail Russian clandestine activities and prevent future chemical weapons attacks on either country’s soil.”

Skripal was imprisoned in Russia after he sold secrets to British intelligence.

He was released in a 2010 spy swap and moved to Britain.

Britain says the Skripals were poisoned with a nerve agent developed in Soviet times and that it must have come from Russia.

Russian officials complain that Britain hasn’t presented evidence to back up the accusation. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that British special services could have been behind the poisoning.

British officials have previously rejected such Russian claims as nonsense. 

Russia’s Ambassador to Australia Grigory Logvinov yesterday warned western countries could spark a new Cold War if they continue their “anti-Russia campaign”.

He also laughed off claims that Russia has spies in Australia after the Turnbull Government announced it would expel two diplomats who were found to be “undisclosed intelligence officers”.</s>The Trump administration ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats on Monday and the closing of the Russian consulate in Seattle in response to the nation’s alleged role in poisoning an ex-spy and his daughter in Great Britain.

The move came in concert with more than a dozen European nations directing Russian diplomats to leave their soil.

“This is the largest expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in United States history,” said U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman, according to The Associated Press.

On March 4, former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were attacked with a nerve agent in Salisbury, England, leaving both in critical condition. British authorities determined the agent was Russian in origin.

In response, Great Britain expelled 23 diplomats. British Prime Minister Theresa May said 18 countries have joined her nation in ousting an additional 100 Russia spies.

The White House issued a statement early Monday morning explaining the actions the U.S. was taking.

“Today President Donald J. Trump ordered the expulsion of dozens of Russian intelligence officers from the United States and the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle due to its proximity to one of our submarine bases and Boeing,” the statement read.

“The United States takes this action in conjunction with our NATO allies and partners around the world in response to Russia’s use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom, the latest in its ongoing pattern of destabilizing activities around the world,” it continued.

Twelve of the 60 ordered to leave the United States are from Russia’s mission to the United Nations.

“The United States and many of our friends are sending a clear message that we will not stand for Russia’s misconduct,” U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said. “Here in New York, Russia uses the United Nations as a safe haven for dangerous activities within our own borders.”

The Trump administration has ordered the Russian consulate in Seattle closed by April 2.

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According to the AP, Monday’s directive marked the largest expulsion of Russians in history, eclipsing the 1986 Reagan administration order of the removal of 55 individuals accused of engaging in espionage.

In December 2016, the Obama administration kicked out 35 suspected Russian intelligence operative in retaliation for Moscow’s attempts to influence the U.S. presidential election.

On Monday, multiple European nations stood in solidarity with Britain, as well, in demanding Russians out.

“We remain critical of the actions of the Russian government,” European Council President Donald Tusk said as he announced the actions by 14 European Union countries to expel Russian diplomats, The Washington Post reported. “Additional measures, including further expulsions within the common E.U. framework, are not to be excluded in the coming days and weeks.”

“Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Finland, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Canada all announced that they would expel diplomats or intelligence agents,” according to The Post.

Moscow appeared to make light of the U.S. actions, hinting it will be taking retaliatory steps. The Russian embassy tweeted a poll asking users to vote which U.S. consulate should be closed in their country: Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg or St. Petersburg.

In more serious tweet, the Russian embassy urged the U.S. to help calm the British government.

“Russia U.S. relations are so multilayered,” a statement accompanying the tweet read. “Strategic stability of the entire world depends on it. They should not be taken hostage by clearly staged stories.”

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>President Donald Trump is ordering the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats and the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle, Washington, in the wake of the UK nerve agent attack, the White House announced Monday.

The President is taking the action in response to the poisonings of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in England, the administration announced.

Forty-eight of the diplomats work at the Russian embassy and a dozen at the United Nations in New York. They and their families will have seven days to leave the country.

“The United States takes this action in conjunction with our NATO allies and partners around the world in response to Russia’s use of military grade chemical weapons on the soil of the United Kingdom, the latest in this ongoing pattern of destabilizing activities around the world,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

In December 2016, the US expelled 35 Russian diplomats in response to Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.</s>More than two dozen nations on three continents this week vowed to boot out Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy in England, including the U.S. which is expelling 60 envoys.The United Kingdom earlier this month sent home 23 Russian diplomats -- after saying Russia was behind the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England.Since Monday, the following 27 countries and NATO have said that they, too, are expelling Russian diplomats, bringing the total being sent home to Russia to at least 152.60 diplomats (and it said it would close Russia's consulate in Seattle)13 diplomats7 diplomats will have accreditation withdrawn, three others' pending accreditation requests have been denied4 diplomats (and denying three others' applications)4 diplomats4 diplomats4 diplomats3 diplomats3 diplomats3 diplomats2 diplomats2 diplomats2 diplomats2 diplomats: 2 diplomats2 diplomats1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat1 diplomat (and withdrawing the status of one honorary consul)The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk , suggested there could be more measures to come.Russia's foreign ministry on Monday issued a statement today protesting the U.S. and European expulsions of Russian diplomats, calling it a "provocative step" and warning that it will respond. Moscow did not say explicitly how it would act, but after the U.K. kicked out 23 Russian diplomats this month, Russia expelled the same number of British diplomats."Rest assured, we will respond," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday, without offering specifics. "No one would want to tolerate such obnoxiousness and we won't either."Skripal and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, were found slumped over, unconscious on a park bench in the southern English town of Salisbury. The U.K. has accused Russia of bearing responsibility for the March 4 attack, which British officials say involved a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed secretly by Russia -- an assessment shared by the United States.Russia has denied any involvement.</s>Police officers in protective suits and masks work near the scene where former double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia were discovered after being attacked with a nerve-agent on March 16, 2018 in Salisbury, England. Jack Taylor/Getty Images
• Australia is expelling two Russian diplomats in solidarity with the global response to the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal in the UK earlier this month.
• The attack was the first offensive use of nerve agent in Europe since World War II.
• The decision follows more than a dozen other nations expelling Russian officials.

Australia said on Tuesday it would expel two Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal with a nerve agent in the UK earlier this month.

Two Russian diplomats identified as "undeclared intelligence officers" would be directed to leave Australia within seven days for "actions inconsistent with their status."

In a press conference, Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull called this a "shocking crime, a shocking infringement on the sovereignty of the UK."

"The brazen and criminal attack was an attack on all of us," Turnbull added.

According to a statement also released by the Prime Minister's office, the decision "takes into account advice from the UK Government that the substance used on March 4 was a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia."

The UK attack, which targeted Skripal at a busy shopping center, was the first offensive use of nerve agent in Europe since World War II.

"Such an attack cannot be tolerated by any sovereign nation," the statement said, adding that the assassination attempt was part of a "pattern of reckless and deliberate conduct by the Russian state."

Foreign Affairs minister Julie Bishop told reporters she expects Russia will expel a "commensurate" number of Australian diplomats in response, and that Australia is preparing for that situation to unfold at its Moscow Embassy.

Turnbull also touted a "long range" of further actions that could be taken in response to Russia's actions, including further sanctions and Australia's attendance at the World Cup in Russia.

The last time Australia expelled diplomats was in 2012, when Syria's highest ranking diplomat was ejected in response to atrocities committed by the government in Syria.

The decision follows several other nations expelling Russian officials in response to the attack.

Last week, the UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats and their families to Moscow, citing national security concerns. UK Prime Minister Theresa May claimed that those discharged were spies working under diplomatic cover.

The US followed suit with the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats from the US-based Russian Embassy and permanent mission to the UN. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday the US also plans to close the Russian consulate in Seattle, which is located near a US naval facility.

More than a dozen other countries have joined calls to eject Russian officials. European Council President Donald Tusk said Russian diplomats were expelled from 14 European Union countries on Monday.

"Additional measures, including further sanctions within the common EU framework, cannot be excluded in the coming days and weeks," Tusk told reporters.

Australia has had strong sanctions in place against Russia since March 2014, in response to Russia's hostile annexation of Crimea. Expanded autonomous sanctions in relation to Russia, Crimea and Sevastopol were announced in September 2014.

In its statement, the Prime Minister's office also raised the issue of "bringing to justice" those responsible for MH17, the plane that was downed while flying over eastern Ukraine in 2014.</s>New Zealand has no plans to expel Russian diplomats in solidarity with a number of Western states in connection with the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom, country's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday.Ardern told Newstalk ZB broadcaster that the Russian diplomats , which will be expelled from these countries, were undeclared intelligence officers."We ran a check, we don't have those in New Zealand but if we did we would expel them," Ardern said as quoted by the broadcaster.US President Donald Trump, in particular, ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats, including 48 employees of the Russian Embassy and 12 people who have been assigned to the United Nations in New York, as well as the closure of the Russian Consulate in Seattle.A total of 16 EU countries, as well as the United States , Canada, Albania, Norway, Ukraine, Macedonia and Australia announced on Monday their decisions to expel about 100 Russian diplomats in connection with Moscow's alleged involvement in the nerve agent attack on Skripal and his daughter in the UK city of Salisbury.Skripal, a former GRU colonel and a double agent who worked for UK intelligence, and his daughter Yulia have been in hospital in a critical condition since March 4 due to exposure to what the UK experts say was a A234 nerve agent. UK Prime Minister Theresa May has accused Russia of orchestrating the attack and expelled 23 Russian diplomats, while the European Union has expressed its solidarity.The Russian side has strongly rejected the accusations and offered assistance in the investigation. Moscow's request for samples of the chemical substance used to poison Skripal was rejected. Moscow expelled UK diplomats in response and ordered the British Council to cease its activities in Russia.</s>WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBSNEWS.COM) – The Trump administration expelled 60 Russian diplomats on Monday and ordered Russia’s consulate in Seattle to close, as the United States and European nations sought to jointly punish Moscow for its alleged role in poisoning an ex-spy in Britain.

Senior Trump administration officials said all 60 Russians were spies working in the U.S. under diplomatic cover, including a dozen at Russia’s mission to the United Nations. The officials said the administration was taking the action to send a message to Russia’s leaders about the “unacceptably high” number of Russian intelligence operatives in the U.S.

The White House made the announcement in a statement early Monday morning:

“Today President Donald J. Trump ordered the expulsion of dozens of Russian intelligence officers from the United States and the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle due to its proximity to one of our submarine bases and Boeing. The United States takes this action in conjunction with our NATO allies and partners around the world in response to Russia’s use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom, the latest in its ongoing pattern of destabilizing activities around the world. 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. The United States stands ready to cooperate to build a better relationship with Russia, but this can only happen with a change in the Russian government’s behavior.”

Shortly after the announcement, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement on that “The United States calls on Russia to accept responsibility for its actions and to demonstrate to the world that it is capable of living up to its international commitments and responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council to uphold international peace and security.”

Nauert added of the punishment for Russia’s “destabilizing behavior” that the U.S. “takes these actions to demonstrate our unbreakable solidarity with the United Kingdom, and to impose serious consequences on Russia for its continued violations of international norms.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Trump’s top U.N. diplomat Nikki Haley sent a statement saying that twelve intelligence operatives from the Russian Mission to the United Nations have abused their privilege of residence in the United States, CBS News’ Pamela Falk reports.

“Here in New York, Russia uses the United Nations as a safe haven for dangerous activities within our own borders, ” Ambassador Haley said.

The expelled Russians will have seven days to leave the U.S, said the officials. They weren’t authorized to be identified by name and requested anonymity. They added that the Seattle consulate is a counter-intelligence concern because of its proximity to a U.S. Navy base.

The move was one of the most significant actions President Donald Trump’s administration has taken to date to push back on Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Less than a week ago, Mr. Trump congratulated Putin by phone for his re-election but didn’t raise the spy case, renewing questions about whether the U.S. president is too soft on the Kremlin.

The Russians preemptively responded to threats of the expected expulsion through a series of social media messages. Russia’s Embassy in the United States tweeted late Sunday night, “Strategic stability of the entire world depends on Russia-US relations. They should not be taken hostage by clearly staged stories.”

The embassy added that the Trump administration still had “time” to change their minds on following through with such actions, which they said would “prevent negative aftermath of this fake story from happening for the sake of all little positivity left in the Russian-American relations.”

The embassy then issued a follow-up tweet after the president’s order — appearing to suggest a retaliatory closure of a U.S. consulate in Russia, and asking for the public’s help in choosing which one.

The U.S. actions came as more than a dozen nations, including those in Russia’s neighborhood, were expected to announce similar steps to reduce Russia’s diplomatic presence in their countries or other actions to punish Moscow. Poland summoned Russia’s ambassador for talks, and its foreign ministry was among several in Europe planning news conferences later Monday.

Last week, EU chief Donald Tusk predicted that member states would introduce measures against Moscow over its suspected role in the spy poisoning case.

Tusk tweeted Monday in response that 14 EU Members States had decided to also expel Russian diplomats. “Additional measures including further expulsions are not excluded in coming days, weeks,” he added.

Britain has already expelled 23 Russian diplomats, accusing them of being undeclared intelligence agents, which led Russia to expel the same number of British diplomats. The European Union has already recalled its ambassador to Russia.

Britain has accused Moscow of perpetrating the attack. The U.S., France and Germany have agreed it’s highly likely that’s the case.</s>Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday it would expel one Russian diplomat in response to a nerve agent attack in England that the British government has blamed on Moscow.



Several other countries also expelled Russian diplomats. Russia has denied involvement in the attack.</s>Shaheen applauds expulsion of Russian diplomats from US

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen says she applauds actions taken by the Trump administration to expel Russian diplomats and close Russia's consulate in Seattle, stemming from an alleged poison attack on an ex-spy in Britain.

Shaheen said Monday this sends a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the United States will continue to stand with the United Kingdom, "and will deliver retribution for the Kremlin's hybrid attacks" on Western nations.

Shaheen's been an outspoken supporter of measures meant to counter Russia's interference in U.S. elections.

There's been a serious escalation of tensions between Russia and the West since the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer convicted of spying for the U.K., and his daughter, Yulia. The two remain in critical condition. Russia's government has denied responsibility.</s>Nato has announced it is cutting the size of its Russian mission by a third, removing accreditation from seven Russian staff and rejecting three other pending applications.

The Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said the permanent size of the Russian mission would be cut from 30 to 20 people, adding the announcement was “a clear and very strong message that there was a cost to Russia’s reckless actions” in poisoning the Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury earlier this month.

He claimed Russia had underestimated Nato’s resolve and said the announcements would reduce Russia’s capability to do intelligence work across Nato.

The move came after more than 20 western allies ordered the expulsion of dozens of Russian diplomats in response to the nerve agent attack in the UK in a show of solidarity that represents the biggest concerted blow to Russian intelligence networks in the west since the cold war.

Speaking in Brussels at the end of consultations with Nato allies on Tuesday, Stoltenberg added that he did not think Russia had expected the west to show such resolve, pointing to the increased Nato military presence on the Russia border, higher defence spending and continued sanctions for Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea.

He said the Nato response was aimed not just at the poisoning in Salisbury, the first use of a nerve agent on Nato territory, but a response to a broader pattern of unacceptable and illegal behaviour.

The US state department said that Donald Trump had “personally ordered” the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats in Washington and New York who US intelligence believe to be spies, and the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle. It was the biggest single expulsion order in US history.

The department’s spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, said that Washington had played a key role in organising the global response. US officials, she said “have worked tirelessly over the past three weeks to achieve this unprecedented level of cooperation and also coordination”.

Earlier on Tuesday the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, claimed the US had used “colossal blackmail” to force European and other western powers to expel Russian diplomats, and promised Moscow would respond harshly to the expulsion of more than 100 Russian diplomats worldwide.

Speaking at a conference on Afghanistan in Tashkent, Lavrov said: “When one or two diplomats are asked to leave this or that country, with apologies being whispered into our ears, we know for certain that this is a result of colossal pressure and colossal blackmail, which is Washington’s chief instrument in the international scene.”

New Zealand says it would expel Russian spies ... but it can't find any Read more

Briefing the cabinet on Tuesday, the prime minister, Theresa May, reported that 23 countries had expelled more than 115 Russian intelligence diplomats. She told her cabinet colleagues this represented an unprecedented series of expulsions that has demonstrated to the Kremlin “that we will not tolerate their attempts to flout international law, undermine our values or threaten our security”.

Play Video 1:07 Theresa May: ‘largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in history’ – video

She added allies were not only taking these actions out of solidarity with the UK but also because they recognised the threat that these Russian networks pose to the security of their own countries and the pattern of aggression that had affected every country.



Only a handful of EU countries including Austria, Portugal, Greece and Malta, have declined to take any steps. Many countries have confined themselves to a tokenistic expulsion of a single diplomat, a move designed to register support for the UK, as opposed to causing disruption to the Russian state.



Britain is now waiting to see if other states follow May’s example and announce they will not be sending official delegations, as opposed to sporting teams, to the World Cup in Russia this summer. British officials acknowledge that public opinion in many countries, notably Germany, is not hostile to Russia, and there is a strict political limit to the sanctions the EU collectively is willing to take.
NATO and the government of Australia expel Russian diplomats.