That same day, the White House declared in a statement that it was “highly likely” that Moscow was responsible for the attack on Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer living in Britain, and his daughter Yulia. European Union member states agreed on Friday to take additional punitive measures against Russia for the nerve-agent attack on the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who have been critical in hospital since they were found unconscious on March 4 on a bench in the city of Salisbury. The Kremlin announced last week it would respond in kind to Britain’s expulsion of Russian personnel by declaring 23 British diplomats “persona non grata” and closing the British consulate in St. Petersburg. May emphasised to EU leaders that it came as part of a “pattern of Russian aggression” and warned Moscow would pose a threat for “years to come” — long past Britain’s exit from the bloc in March next year. Highlighting the bloc’s familiar divisions on how to handle Russia, Slovakia’s new prime minister, Peter Pellegrini, said he wanted “constructive dialogue” with Moscow despite the poisoning of the Skripals.
A friend of poisoned exiled Russian spy Sergei Skripal claims Skripal had written to Vladimir Putin asking to return to Russia. Russia denies receiving such a letter.