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Theresa May publicly blames Russia for nerve agent attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal as relations with Moscow plummet

She declared Mr Skripal and his daughter were targeted with a Russian-developed "military grade nerve agent" called Novichok - and it was "highly likely" Russia was responsible for the attack.

Russia's ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office as Mrs May threatened an "extensive" diplomatic crackdown and gave the Kremlin a 24-hour deadline to explain itself.

She warned: "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 tolerant such a brazen attempt to murder innocent civilians on our soil."

Russian President Vladimir Putin shrugged off questions today as the Kremlin dismissed the allegations as a "circus show".

Это все правильно, конечно, but what are you going to do about it?

Это я без сарказма спрашиваю совершенно. Я не знаю, какие действия должны предпринять британские власти.

Но сборную на ЧМ в Россию-то хоть отправлять не будут? Или будут, все равно?

Ну, и о Трампе. Великобратания -- член НАТО, и, возможно, главный союзник США.

David Frum:

Prime Minister of United Kingdom publicly accuses Russia of attempted assassination by nerve agent on NATO soil. What will the president of the United States say & do?

Пока США не обвиняют Россию:

The White House on Monday condemned the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in the U.K. earlier this month but declined to say whether Moscow was responsible.

“The use of a highly lethal nerve agent on U.K. soil is an outrage. The attack was reckless indiscriminate and irresponsible,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

Hours earlier, British Prime Minster Theresa May said it’s “highly likely” Russia was responsible for the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

The White House did not go that far on Monday. Instead, Sanders said the administration is condemning the attack and “standing with our ally.”

“Right now we are standing with our U.K. ally. I think they’re still working through even some of the details of that,” Sanders said. “And we’re going to continue to work with the U.K., and we certainly stand with them throughout this process.” [...]

The administration has not implemented sanctions against Russia that overwhelmingly passed both chambers of Congress last year.