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Trump agrees Russia must provide unambiguous answers about Skripal incident

British Prime Minister Theresa May set out the conclusion reached by the UK Government that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack against Sergei and Yulia Skripal

US President Donald Trump AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

US President Donald Trump

© AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

LONDON, March 13. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump agreed in a conversation with British Prime Minister Theresa May that Moscow must provide unambiguous answers about the incident with former Russian military intelligence (GRU) Colonel Sergei Skripal, the British prime minister’s office said in a statement.

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No one can deliver any 24-hour ultimatums to Russia — Foreign Ministry spokeswoman

"The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump earlier this afternoon to update him on the ongoing investigation into the Salisbury incident," the statement reads.

"The Prime Minister set out the conclusion reached by the UK Government that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack against Sergei and Yulia Skripal," May’s office said.

"President Trump said the US was with the UK all the way, agreeing that the Russian Government must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used," the statement added.

Skripal incident

On March 4, former Russian military intelligence (GRU) Colonel Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, suffered from effects of an unknown nerve agent. They were found unconscious on a bench in a park near the Maltings shopping center in the city of Salisbury. Both are currently in hospital in critical condition.

On March 12, British Prime Minister Theresa May said it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack on Skripal and his daughter. She identified the substance used in the attack as a Novichok nerve agent, developed in the Soviet Union.

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow had nothing to do with the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter. He pointed out that Russia had not received any requests from the UK concerning a substance allegedly used in the Salisbury incident. Lavrov stressed that in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, the United Kingdom had had to immediately contact the country suspected of using such a substance, providing it with access to the substance in question. According to Lavrov, the Convention stipulates that an answer to such a question must be given within a period of ten days, while London demanded that Russia provide a response until the end of the day on Tuesday, which Moscow considered to be an unacceptable ultimatum.

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