MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/. Former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal had been pardoned and set free, therefore Moscow held no grudges against him and had no motive for his alleged poisoning, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

"We could not have a possible motive," Lavrov said. "This person had been set free and pardoned within the frames of the swap for Russian nationals several years ago."

"If there were some claims in regard to this man, he would have never been a part of the swap deal," the top Russian diplomat added.

The United States and Britain have stopped observing basic rules of descency and use flagrant lies against Moscow, Lavrov said.

"Our western partners, Britain in the first place, the United States and some other countries that blindly follow in their footsteps have brushed aside all rules of politeness and use flagrant lies and crude disinformation. We respond to this rather calmly and in cold blood. We insist that any charges, any claims must be confirmed by facts," Lavrov pointed out.