May says Kremlin responded with ‘sarcasm, contempt and defiance’ to 24-hour deadline set by UK

Britain is braced for retaliation from Moscow after Theresa May blamed the Russian state for the Salisbury poisoning, and announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats and a crackdown on “corrupt elites”.

The prime minister told the House of Commons the Kremlin had responded with “sarcasm, contempt and defiance” to the 24-hour deadline the government set on Monday for explaining the attack on former spy Sergei Skripal.

“Their response has demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events,” May told MPs. She said: “There is no alternative conclusion other than the Russian state was responsible for the attempted murder of Mr Skripal and his daughter.”

It was “unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom”, May said.

Jeremy Corbyn under fire over response to PM's Russia statement Read more

Skripal remains in a critical condition after the incident in Salisbury last week. Analysis carried out by government experts has found that the former spy and his daughter Yulia were exposed to a banned nerve agent, likely to have been manufactured in Russia.

Play Video 1:35 UK not interested in the truth, says Russian UN ambassador – video

May announced that the government would take a series of measures, including cutting off high-level diplomatic contact, strengthening powers to detain suspected intelligence agents at the border, and expelling 23 “undeclared intelligence agents”. That is the largest such move since the cold war, and marks a considerable escalation on the expulsion of four diplomats after the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in 2007.

“We will not tolerate the threat to life of British people and others on British soil from the Russian government. Nor will we tolerate such a flagrant breach of Russia’s international obligations,” May said. “We will freeze Russian state assets wherever we have evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents. There is no place for these people – or their money – in our country.”

May announced that a planned visit by the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, would be cancelled; and that no dignitaries or members of the royal family would attend the World Cup in Russia this summer – though she stopped short of backing a boycott of the tournament by the England team.

Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, had earlier confirmed that British diplomats would be expelled from Moscow in retaliation.

Q&A Have you been affected by the events in Salisbury? Show Hide If you were at the Mill or Zizzi restaurant in Salisbury city centre on Sunday 4 and Monday 5 March, you can share your experience with us by using our encrypted form.

Your responses will only be seen by the Guardian and we will treat them confidentially. Your stories will help our journalists have a more complete picture of these events and we will use some of them in our reporting.

Asked in an interview with Sky News about what would happen after May’s statement, Yakovenko said: “There will be expulsions. As you understand in diplomatic practice, there will be answers from the Russian side.” When he was asked to clarify if this meant British diplomats being expelled from Moscow, he replied: “In diplomacy, there is always reciprocity.”

Yakovenko also said that what the UK government was doing was “absolutely unacceptable,” and that it should refer the matter to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The Russian embassy in London appeared to brush off the seriousness of the situation, tweeting: “The temperature of Russia-UK relations drops to minus 23, but we are not afraid of cold weather.”

May’s Commons statement followed an announcement by the Foreign Office that the UK had called for an urgent meeting of the UN security council to update members on the investigation. EU leaders will also discuss the incident at a summit next week, said the European council president, Donald Tusk.

At the UN in New York on Wednesday night, the UK laid out the case against Russia, describing the nerve agent as “a weapon so horrific it is banned from use in war”.

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said the US “stands in absolute solidarity” with Great Britain. “The United States believes that Russia is responsible for the attack on two people in the United Kingdom using a military-grade nerve agent. Dozens of civilians and first responders were also exposed,” Haley said.



“If we don’t take immediate concrete measures to address this now, Salisbury will not be the last place we see chemical weapons used. They could be used here in New York, or in cities of any country that sits on this council. This is a defining moment.”

Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian envoy to the UN, told the council: “No scientific research or development under the title novichok were carried out.”

Nebenzia alleged that the Salisbury poisoning was a false-flag attack, possibly by the UK itself, intended to tarnish Russia. “Most probable source of this agent are the countries who have carried out research on these weapons, including Britain,” he said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jeremy Corbyn said any response must be based on clear evidence. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

The White House said it shared Britain’s assessment that Russia was responsible for the nerve agent and supported the decision to expel Russian diplomats.



It said the attack “fits into a pattern of behaviour in which Russia disregards the international rules-based order, undermines the sovereignty and security of countries worldwide, and attempts to subvert and discredit Western democratic institutions and processes.”

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressedconfidence in the investigations being carried out by Britain, though he was careful not to say directly that Russia was behind the attack. “In the coming hours, France will be in contact at the highest level with the British authorities to coordinate our response,” Le Drian said

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also stressed the need to involve the OPCW, which is based at the Hague, in investigating what he called “an appalling act of violence”. He said: “Nerve agents are abominable if used in any war. It is utterly reckless to use them in a civilian environment.”

Some other Labour MPs offered the prime minister more unequivocal backing – as did the Scottish National party’s Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, who said: “There has to be a robust response to the use of terror on our streets. We must act in a measured way to show that we will simply not tolerate this behaviour.”

May repeatedly underlined the support of international allies, including Donald Trump, and German chancellor Angela Merkel.



But Corbyn’s cautious response found an echo in Paris, with President Emmanuel Macron’s spokesman Benjamin Griveaux saying it was too early for Paris to decide whether action should be taken.

“We don’t do fantasy politics. Once the elements are proven, then the time will come for decisions to be made,” Griveaux told reporters.

Griveaux said France was waiting for “definitive conclusions,” and evidence that the “facts were completely true,” before taking a position.

The Foreign Office updated its travel advice for British citizens planning to go to Russia in the coming months, warning of “the possibility of anti-British sentiment or harassment”.

“While the British Embassy in Moscow is not aware of any increased difficulties for British people travelling in Russia at this time, you should follow the security and political situation closely and keep up to date with this travel advice.”

A spokesman for the Football Association later said: “The FA will continue to work closely with the UK Government and relevant authorities regarding our participation in this summer’s Fifa World Cup and the Women’s World Cup qualifier in June.”

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable has called for a boycott of the tournament, which some fear will allow Russia to burnish its image on the international stage.





</s>
• The UK government has accused Russia of being behind a nerve agent attack on a former double agent in Salisbury, England.
• But the White House refused to endorse this view in a press conference on Monday.
• White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the US government condemns the attack, but did not mention Russia by name.

The White House has declined to endorse the UK government’s assessment that Russia was behind the recent attempted assassination of a former double agent in Salisbury, England.

On Monday, British Prime Minister Theresa May said it was “highly likely” that the Russian government was behind the attack that has left Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia critically ill, calling it “an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the United Kingdom.”

But when White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked repeatedly about the incident at a press conference in Washington DC later on Monday, she would not say whether the American government agreed with this attribution, and did not mention Russia by name.

“The use of a highly lethal nerve agent against UK citizens on UK soil is an outrage,” Sanders said in response to a question about the attack and Russia’s role. “The attack was reckless, indiscriminate, and irresponsible. We offer the fullest condemnation.”

The journalist them pressed her, asking if this meant the US was not pointing the finger at Russia.

“Right now, we are standing with our UK ally,” Sanders said. “I think they’re still working through even some of the details of that, and we’re going to continue to work with the UK.”

May’s remarks accusing Russia came hours prior to the White House press conference.

Sanders was then asked a third time about the UK government’s assessment, and said only: “We stand with our ally and we certainly fully support them, and are ready if we can be of any assistance to them.”

The UK government has said it has identified the nerve agent used on the Skripals on March 4 as being from the Novichok family. Novichok nerve agents were developed by Russia during the Cold War, and are highly toxic – as much as 10 times more deadly than the lethal XV nerve agent.

There are two possibilities, May said – Either the attack was orchestrated by the Russian government, or “the Russian government lost control of this potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others.”

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson has been less reticent about apportioning blame, however. He said on Monday that the poisoning “clearly came from Russia,” AP reported, and that it “will trigger a response.”

Here’s a video of Sanders being asked about the attack on the Skripals:</s>Last week in England, a nerve agent attack left a former UK spy and his daughter in hospital. On Monday, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May reported that it was "highly likely" that Russia was behind the attack, or else Russian authorities had "lost control" over the substance. When faced with May's condemnation in a press conference, however, the Trump administration wouldn't blame Russia for the nerve agent or its use against the two victims.

Reporters asked Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders three times on Monday whether the Trump administration would join the U.K. in blaming Russia for the attack. Three times, Sanders declined to do so, instead insisting that the U.S. would continue to stand with their ally across the pond.

"The use of a highly lethal nerve agent against U.K. citizens on U.K. soil is an outrage. The attack was reckless, indiscriminate and irresponsible," Sanders said in the first iteration of her response. "We offer the fullest condemnation and we extend our sympathy to the victims and their families and our support to the U.K. government. We stand by our closest ally and the special relationship that we have."

Twice over, she repeated nearly-identical statements, only adding that the U.S. would "be of any assistance" to the U.K., if or as needed.

May, however, took a much firmer stance when responding to the attack, which targeted a double agent named Sergei Skripal, who shared Russian secrets with the U.K., as well as his daughter, Yulia. When speaking before the House of Commons on Monday, the British prime minister was directly to the point:

In 2006, Russia found out that Skripal, a military intelligence officer, was acting as a double agent and selling Russian state secrets to the United Kingdom. He was thence imprisoned. In 2010, he was released as part of a spy swap, after which he settled in the United Kingdom. His daughter, however, still lived in Russia. She was visiting with her father at the time of the attack.

Last week, the two were discovered unconscious on a bench in Salisbury, a city in south-central England. They have been hospitalized since.

Though initially suggesting that there was no threat to the public following the attack, the British government changed its tune on Sunday, urging citizens who may have been nearby at the time to wash their clothes and possessions. The government released a leaflet which explained the situation, though they maintained that risk of harm was low.

"While there is no immediate health risk to anyone who may have been in either of these locations, it is possible, but unlikely, that any of the substance which has come into contact with clothing or belongings could still be present in minute amounts and therefore contaminate your skin," officials wrote. "Over time, repeated skin contact with contaminated items may pose a small risk to health."

The Trump administration's hesitance to join the U.K. in assigning blame to Russia comes as allegations of potential collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian officials, in an attempt to affect the election, continues to dominate U.S. headlines. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the matter, and a series of other inquiries as they pop up along the way. (Trump and his team have consistently maintained that there was absolutely no collusion with Russia, as has a report from the House Intelligence Committee.)

As the investigation plays out, the new Russian ambassador to the United States has said that "Russiaphobia" has become so common that he has had difficulty securing meetings with U.S. lawmakers.</s>Britain says it will expel 23 Russian diplomats after Moscow shrugged off demands to explain how a deadly Soviet-era nerve agent came to be used in the English town of Salisbury to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. VOA's Jeff Custer reports.</s>The nerve agent attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia “clearly came from Russia” and “certainly will trigger a response”, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said.

Mr Tillerson’s comments amount to the strongest US response yet to Theresa May’s declaration that it was “highly likely” Russia was behind the horrific poisoning in Salisbury on March 4th.

The British prime minister told MPs that the highly dangerous substance used in the attack was a military-grade Novichok nerve agent produced by Russia.

She set a deadline of midnight on Tuesday for Moscow to explain whether it was behind the attack or had lost control of its stockpile of the poison.

Failure to provide a “credible” response would lead her to view the incident as “an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the United Kingdom”, sparking unspecified measures in reprisal.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd will chair a meeting of the Government’s Cobra emergencies committee in Whitehall on Tuesday morning to discuss the latest developments.

According to AP, Mr Tillerson told journalists travelling with him in Africa that the Novichok agent was “only in the hands of a very, very limited number of parties”.

Although he said it “clearly came from Russia”, he added that he did not know whether Vladimir Putin’s government had knowledge of the poisoning and said it was “almost beyond comprehension” that a state actor would use such a dangerous substance in a public place.

In a formal statement released after a phone call with British foreign secretary Boris Johnson, the US Secretary of State said: “We have full confidence in the UK’s investigation and its assessment that Russia was likely responsible for the nerve agent attack that took place in Salisbury last week.

“Those responsible — both those who committed the crime and those who ordered it — must face appropriately serious consequences. We stand in solidarity with our Allies in the United Kingdom and will continue to co-ordinate closely our responses.”

With the world weighing up the possibility of sanctions against Russia, French president Emmanuel Macron offered his country’s solidarity with the UK in a phone call with Ms May, in which he said that Paris would “co-ordinate closely” with London following Russia’s response.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “They discussed the wide pattern of aggressive Russian behaviour and agreed that it would be important to continue to act in concert with allies to address it.”

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said: “The use of any nerve agent is horrendous and completely unacceptable.

“The UK is a highly valued ally, and this incident is of great concern to Nato. Nato is in touch with the UK authorities on this issue.”

Ms May’s dramatic statement to the Commons on Monday came after Mr Johnson summoned Russian ambassador Alexander Yakovenko to the Foreign Office to voice Britain’s outrage, giving him little more than 24 hours to provide Moscow’s response.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the nerve agent attack on Mr Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer who was jailed as a double agent before being sent to the West in a 2010 spy swap.

Following Ms May’s statement, news agency Tass quoted Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying: “It is a circus show in the British Parliament.

“The conclusion is obvious, it’s another political information campaign, based on a provocation.”

And Mr Putin dismissed questions about the Skripals when he was confronted during an election campaign visit, telling the BBC: “Get to the bottom of things there, then we’ll discuss this.”

Ms May said: “On Wednesday we will consider in detail the response from the Russian state.

“Should there be no credible response, we will conclude that this action amounts to an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom.”

That would result in Ms May setting out “the full range of measures that we will take in response”.

The National Security Council is expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss the Russian response, if any, ahead of a statement by the prime minister.

Ms May said: “This attempted murder using a weapons-grade nerve agent in a British town was not just a crime against the Skripals.

“It was an indiscriminate and reckless act against the United Kingdom, putting the lives of innocent civilians at risk.

“And we will not tolerate such a brazen attempt to murder innocent civilians on our soil.”

In the US administration’s first public statement on the issue, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the attack was “reckless, indiscriminate and irresponsible”.

She said: “The use of a highly lethal nerve agent against UK citizens on UK soil is an outrage.

“We offer the fullest condemnation and we extend our sympathy to the victims and their families and our support to the UK Government.

“We stand by our closest ally and the special relationship that we have.” - PA</s>LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats in retaliation for the nerve agent attack on a former Russian double agent, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.

“Under the Vienna Convention, the United Kingdom will now expel 23 Russian diplomats who have been identified as undeclared intelligence officers,” May told parliament. “They have just one week to leave.”

May said the biggest expulsions from London in 30 years would degrade Russian intelligence capabilities in Britain for years to come.

“We will freeze Russian state assets wherever we have the evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents,” May said.</s>The UK will expel 23 Russian diplomats from the country after concluding that the Russian state is responsible for the attempted murder of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury.

This will be the single biggest expulsion of Russian diplomats in over 30 years, Prime Minister Theresa May said Wednesday. The 23 concerned, who May said had been identified as undeclared intelligence agents, will have only one week to leave.

"For those who seek to do us harm, my message is simple. You are not welcome here," she said in a statement to the House of Commons following a meeting of Britain's National Security Council.

The expulsion of diplomats will "fundamentally degrade" Russian intelligence capabilities in Britain for years, May said.

The Skripals are critically ill in hospital after being exposed to the nerve agent, known as Novichok and developed in Russia, on March 4. Thirty-eight other people in Salisbury were seen by medics after the exposure. One, a police officer, remains hospitalized.

May said Monday it was highly likely that Moscow was behind the poisoning. The Russian ambassador to the UK was summoned to the UK Foreign Office to explain whether the attack was directed by Russian authorities, or whether Moscow had lost control of the nerve agent.

She demanded that Moscow respond by midnight Tuesday, London time, to the UK government's conclusion that Russia was linked to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on a park bench in Salisbury in southern England.

But Moscow -- which has repeatedly dismissed any accusations of involvement in the attack -- ignored the deadline.

Addressing lawmakers Wednesday, May said it had been right to give Russia the opportunity to answer the allegations, "but their response has demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events."

The Russians had provided no credible explanation, she said, leading to "no alternative conclusion" other than that the Russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of the Skripals and for threatening the lives of other British citizens.

"This represents an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom," she said. "And as I set out on Monday it has taken place against the backdrop of a well-established pattern of Russian state aggression across Europe and beyond.

"It must therefore be met with a full and robust response -- beyond the actions we have already taken since the murder of Mr. Litvinenko and to counter this pattern of Russian aggression elsewhere," she added, referring to a different ex-Russian spy -- Alexander Litvinenko -- who was poisoned in London in 2006.

Britain has called for an "urgent meeting of the UN Security Council" to "update members on the investigation into the nerve agent attack in Salisbury," the UK Foreign Office tweeted.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier Wednesday that there had been no progress in his country's communications with Britain.

Speaking alongside his Turkish counterpart in Moscow, Lavrov accused UK authorities of "political theater" and trying to mislead the international community rather than submitting an official request to Russia in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention. Russia is ready to respond to an official request within 10 days, in line with its obligations, once it is made, Lavrov said.

Lavrov also said that Russia had no motive in targeting the specific individuals concerned and that all allegations were based on speculation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov similarly rejected "unfounded accusations" of Russian involvement in the attack as he spoke with reporters on a conference call.

"Moscow stands open to cooperation in the investigation of these events. Unfortunately, this is not reciprocated by the British," Peskov said, as he urged other countries to use their "common sense" as they consider whether there is any proof to the claims.</s>(CNN) It's been described as the among the deadliest chemical weapons ever made.

But Novichok, the substance confirmed by UK Prime Minister Theresa May to have been used in the attempted murder of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, is not merely lethal, it's also highly unusual.

It's so unusual in fact, that very few scientists outside of Russia have any real experience in dealing with it.

The substance, which means "newcomer" in Russian, was first developed in secret by the Soviet Union during the Cold War in the 1980s, as a means of countering US chemical weapons defenses.

Its existence remained secret until the mid-nineties, when information regarding its production was revealed as part of a deliberate leak by disgruntled Soviet scientist and whistle-blower Vil Mirzayanov. Even today, no country outside of Russia is known to have developed the substance.

'Russian hands all over it'

Speaking to CNN, chemical weapons expert Hamish de Bretton-Gordon described Novichok as "a very sophisticated chemical weapon" that only a very select number of states would be capable of handling.

"It is difficult to imagine a scenario that doesn't have Russian hands all over it," said de Bretton-Gordon, a former commanding officer of the UK military's Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Regiment.

"So, the chance that perhaps some of these Novichoks have been stolen by criminals or terrorists from Russia is a possibility, and we wait to see an explanation from the Russian Ambassador to London tomorrow, but I think highly unlikely."

It is also harder to identify. "One of the main reasons these agents are developed is because their component parts are not on the banned list," said Stephens referring to the Chemical Weapons Convention, an international arms control treaty signed in 1993 that prohibits the use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer of chemical weapons.

"It means the chemicals that are mixed to create it are much easier to deliver with no risk to the health of the courier," said Stephens.

A colorless, odorless and tasteless liquid, Novichok would be easy to transport, suggested de Bretton-Gordon, who described it as likely going undetected "through an airport or a seaport or even through the mail."

Like other nerve agents, Novichok works by causing a slowing of the heart and restriction of the airways, leading to a slow and often painful death by asphyxiation.

Andrea Sella, professor of chemistry at University College London, described Novichok as causing a "systemic collapse of many bodily functions."

"In essence what they do is to block the mechanism that allows a nerve to reset itself after a signal has been transmitted," said Sella, adding that the symptoms were largely consistent, "especially the labored breathing and the muscular rigidity."

There is no treatment, only supportive care, including oxygen, anti-seizure medication, atropine, used for some poisoning patients, and pralidoxime chloride, given to inhibit poisoning including by nerve agents. Even just small doses can cause confusion and drowsiness.

"Treatment involves supporting breathing and delivering pharmaceuticals that on the one hand moderate the behavior of the nervous system and that can reverse the action of the agent," said Sella.

"It is likely that there will be long-term neurological problems for a person who has been exposed to these agents."

Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remain hospitalized in critical condition. A police officer who came into contact with the nerve agent, Detective Sgt. Nick Bailey, remains hospitalized in serious condition but has been speaking to visitors.

How and where it was ingested

The next question facing the UK government is how precisely the attack was administered -- and how the Skripals ingested the agent.

According to the book's authors, professors Ian Greaves and Paul Hunt, the Novochok class of agent was reportedly engineered to be undetectable by standard detection equipment, meaning further investigation may prove to be difficult.

On Friday, an additional 180 military personnel were deployed to the scene to help police investigate several sites amid concerns over potential contamination.

This was followed yesterday by the removal of the restaurant table where Sergei and Yulia Skripal ate on the day of attack for examination, a source confirmed to CNN. Restaurant employees were also advised to wash their uniforms, but not to burn them.

However, in spite of the extreme toxicity of these compounds, there would be very little risk to the general population, suggested professor Salla.

"There is no way of spreading the material around and it would decompose relatively swiftly in damp conditions," said Salla, who described the attempted murder as a "highly targeted attack."</s>Nerve agent used in poisoning of Russian ex-spy, UK police say

UK's May says Tuesday deadline for Russia to explain ex-spy poisoning

'One should not threaten a nuclear power,' Russian MFA warns Britain on spy poisoning claims

Prime Minister Theresa May, who said on Monday it was"highly likely" that Russia was behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, won support from the U.S. and some of Britain's main European allies and the European Union which denounced the attack as "shocking" and offered help to track down those responsible.

U.S. President Donald Trump voiced his support to Britain's May following her ultimatum to Russia to account for the presence of a rare nerve agent used to poison a former spy and his daughter.

Trump said Washington was "with the U.K. all the way, agreeing that the Russian government must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used," May's office, Downing Street, said in a statement after the two leaders spoke by phone on Tuesday.

It said May updated Trump on the investigation into the poisoning in the English city of Salisbury on March 4.

"The prime minister set out the conclusion reached by the U.K. government that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack against Sergei and Yulia Skripal," it said.

Merkel: We're taking UK claims of Russia link to spy attack 'extremely seriously'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and May agreed on Tuesday that allies should act together to counter "the pattern of aggressive Russian behavior" after the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in the U.K.

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said the German leader had condemned the attack and assured May in a telephone call that she was taking the British government's views on possible Russian involvement in the attack extremely seriously.

"(Merkel) said it's up to Russia to quickly provide answers to the British government's justified questions and to heed the call to completely and immediately lay bare the relevant chemical weapons program to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons," Seibert said.

"They (May and Merkel) discussed the pattern of aggressive Russian behavior and agreed it would be important to act in unison with allies to counter it," the spokesman for the British prime minister said in a statement.

"They agreed that the international community should coordinate closely as the investigation developed and in the wake of Russia's response."

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday blasted the "unacceptable" nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain and expressed his "full solidarity" with the British government.

"The president condemned the unacceptable attack and reaffirmed France's commitment to fighting impunity when it comes to chemical weapons use," Macron's office said in a statement.

Macron spoke to May by telephone on Monday evening and she informed him of the results of the investigation and the answers she was expecting from Moscow, the statement added.

Macron "assured May of France's full solidarity with the United Kingdom," it said, adding that the pair agreed to "stay in close contact" over the issue in the coming days.

The French statement refrained from pointing the figure at the Kremlin for the March 4 poisoning of Sergei Skripal.

British police have said the case is being as an attempted murder.

May and Trump said it appeared to have been carried out by Moscow, an accusation furiously denied by Russian officials.

The French foreign ministry had condemned the attack earlier Tuesday as a growing number of Western governments expressed support for Britain over the affair.

"We have full confidence that the British investigation will rapidly establish who was responsible," foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muehll said.</s>LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats in retaliation for a chemical attack on a former Russian double agent, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.

Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found slumped unconscious on a bench outside a shopping center in the genteel southern English city of Salisbury on March 4. They have been in a critical condition ever since.

Below is a list of the actions set out by May in parliament on Wednesday:

- Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats who it says have been identified as undeclared intelligence officers.

“They have just one week to leave,” May said. “This will be the single biggest expulsion for over thirty years and it reflects the fact that this is not the first time that the Russian State has acted against our country.”

- Britain “will freeze Russian state assets wherever we have the evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents”.

- Britain will develop new laws to harden its defenses against all forms of “hostile state activity” including being able to detain those suspected of hostile state activity at Britain’s borders. Currently this power is only used in relation to those suspected of terrorism.

- No British ministers or members of the Royal Family will attend this year’s soccer World Cup. Britain will suspend all planned high level bi-lateral contacts between the UK and the Russian Federation.

- All capabilities of UK law enforcement will be brought to bear against “serious criminals and corrupt elites”, May says, adding that there is there is “no place” for them or their money in Britain.

- Britain will “fundamentally degrade” Russian intelligence capability in the UK for years to come and prevent them from rebuilding it.

- Britain will start to monitor and track the intentions of those traveling to the UK who could be engaged in activity that threatens Britain and its allies. “We will increase checks on private flights, customs and freight,” she said.

- Britain’s interior minister will consider whether new counter-espionage powers are needed to clamp down on hostile activities of foreign agents in Britain.

- Britain will seek to strengthen its power to impose sanctions in response to the violations of human rights. “In doing so, we will play our part in an international effort to punish those responsible for the sorts of abuses suffered by Sergei Magnitsky,” May said.

- May said “it is tragic that President Putin has chosen to act in this way”, adding that she has no disagreement with Russian people or Russian citizens living in Britain in a law-abiding away.
The United Kingdom expels 23 Russian diplomats and cuts off all top-level ties with Russia as punishment for a reported attack with the Novichok military-grade nerve agent, an attack which Prime Minister Theresa May described as an "unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom".