In joint statement, world leaders agree Russia behind nerve agent attack on former spy
The leaders of the United States, Germany and France have joined together with the United Kingdom in accusing Russia of being behind the nerve agent attack on an ex-Russian spy.
"This use of a military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, constitutes the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War," the statement said.
“It is an assault on U.K. sovereignty and any such use by a State party is a clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and a breach of international law. It threatens the security of us all,” they said.
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The quartet stated “there is no plausible alternative explanation” to Russian responsibility for the attack on British soil and the Kremlin’s failure to respond to a “legitimate request” for an explanation “further underlines its responsibility.”
“We call on Russia to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council to uphold international peace and security,” the statement ended.
The leaders’ remarks come a day after Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats and suspended high-level contacts with Moscow over the incident.