EU backs Britain in blaming Russia for spy attack

[webfact]

EU backs Britain in blaming Russia for spy attack

By Gabriela Baczynska and Elizabeth Piper

 

British Prime Minister Theresa May talks with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa as they attend a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, March 22, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Vidal/Pool

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders backed Britain on Thursday in blaming Moscow over a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in England, raising the possibility of additional retaliatory steps by European countries.

 

The solid show of support from the EU, at a time when Britain is grappling with its departure from the bloc, will boost Prime Minister Theresa May, who has been asking other nations to match her decision to expel Russians over the attack.

 

In what will form the basis of a formal statement later on Thursday, the chairman of the EU leaders' summit, Donald Tusk, said on Twitter that the bloc "agrees with UK government that [it is] highly likely Russia is responsible for the Salisbury attack and that there is no other plausible explanation."

 

May accused Russia of the first known offensive use of a nerve toxin in Europe since World War Two after Sergei Skripal, a former Russian double agent, and his daughter were found unconscious in the city of Salisbury on March 4.

 

The attack has sparked tit-for-tat retaliatory action, with May's decision to expel 23 Russian "undeclared intelligence officials" followed by similar measures from Moscow, including the closure of Britain's cultural centre in Russia's second city of St Petersburg.

 

Over a dinner of lamb, May called on EU leaders to work together to confront the challenge Russia presented, saying that the attack in Salisbury was "part of a wider pattern of behaviour" by a country to thwart international norms.

 

"Russia staged a brazen and reckless attack against the United Kingdom," May told reporters in Brussels. "It's clear that the Russian threat does not respect borders and indeed the incident in Salisbury was a pattern of Russian aggression against Europe and its near neighbours."

 

In the early days after the attack, May won the support of French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump when they said they shared Britain's assessment of Russian culpability.

 

But in Brussels, May had to convince more dovish states including Greece, Hungary and Bulgaria, that they should blame Russia squarely over the attack.

 

RUSSIAN SPIES

 

Tusk's statement means they had been convinced, opening the way for EU leaders to discuss future "coordinated action". Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said she was ready to expel Russian spies and diplomats said Poland could do so too.

 

Both had held off to see who else would join.

 

Slovakia's new prime minister, Peter Pellegrini, said he wanted "constructive dialogue" with Russia despite the poisoning of the Skripals, who British authorities say have been critically ill since the attack by a Soviet-designed, military-grade nerve agent called Novichok.

 

May has also asked fellow European leaders to step up intelligence cooperation to start going after Russian spy networks, diplomats said.

 

"Britain says there are these networks that organise such things like Salisbury, that these networks exist across our borders and that it would be good to go after them together," a senior EU diplomat said.

 

Another diplomat said: "There is movement among several willing states to do something together in reaction to Skripal." The person added this would be done by states individually, so as not to press more reluctant EU member states too hard.

 

BEEF UP DEFENCES

 

Russia has offered several different motives to explain the attack on the Skripals, who may have been left brain-damaged, and absolve Moscow of responsibility -- something London labels disinformation and distraction.

 

On Thursday, Moscow's ambassador to London, Vladimir Yakovenko, said that, had Novichok been used, the Skripals would have died and he rebuked British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson for comparing Russia's hosting of the soccer World Cup this summer with Nazi Germany's hosting of the Olympics in 1936.

 

In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin discussed Britain's "unfriendly and provocative" policy at a session of the national security council, RIA news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying.

 

Ties between Russia and the West plummeted over Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for rebels in eastern Ukraine. Both have triggered rounds of EU sanctions.

 

A British official stressed that Britain was not seeking regime change in Russia, but that "Russia has shown itself as a strategic enemy, not a strategic partner".

 

(Additional reporting by Robin Emmott, Richard Lough, Jean-Baptiste Vey and Andreas Rinke, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Andrew Heavens, John Stonestreet and Alastair Macdonald)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-23

[Samui Bodoh]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

European Union leaders backed Britain on Thursday in blaming Moscow over a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in England, raising the possibility of additional retaliatory steps by European countries.

This is a very, very good thing. A unified/united Europe is invulnerable to Russian aggression. A divided Europe can be picked off one by one.

 

I can think of no reason why Russia will not continue this reckless behaviour unless it pays some kind of price for doing so. It is a good thing that Europe sticks together to confront this menace.

 

If only the US (and Trump especially!) would do their part...

 

Edited March 22, 2018 by Samui Bodoh
Lack of coffee

[StraightTalk]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

...the bloc "agrees with UK government that [it is] highly likely Russia is responsible for the Salisbury attack and that there is no other plausible explanation."

So, where's the beef...?

By applying the 'presumption of guilt' principle indicates a weak and insecure leadership of UK government; The concurring views of the EU bloc is inexplicable and mind-boggling. If indeed no factual evidence can be produced by the inquiring (UK) authorities then one can assume certain arrangements not open or public had been agreed to relating to Brexit. This is going to be a busy period for all political investigating journalists, stay tuned.

[Topdoc]

Interesting perspective here:

http://www.unz.com/article/four-days-to-declare-a-cold-war/

 

Keep in mind Rex Tillerson was just fired

[dunroaming]

10 hours ago, StraightTalk said:

So, where's the beef...?

By applying the 'presumption of guilt' principle indicates a weak and insecure leadership of UK government; The concurring views of the EU bloc is inexplicable and mind-boggling. If indeed no factual evidence can be produced by the inquiring (UK) authorities then one can assume certain arrangements not open or public had been agreed to relating to Brexit. This is going to be a busy period for all political investigating journalists, stay tuned.

 

I think that Britain were too quick off of the mark to accuse Russia but as time goes by there is little doubt, if any, that Russia are the guilty party.  The public are only privy to limited information but for the EU to come out with their statement it does indicate that there is enough evidence to make a stand.  This is nothing to do with Brexit (for a change) but all to do with supporting the UK.