'NOT FOOLING ANYONE'
Boris Johnson blasts ‘increasingly absurd’ Russian claims about spy poisoning as he meets EU leaders to boost united front against Putin
BORIS JOHNSON today blasted Russia’s “increasingly absurd” attempts to deny poisoning an ex-spy in Salisbury.
The Foreign Secretary said the Putin regime was “trying to conceal the needle of truth in a haystack of lies and obfuscation” as he met with EU leaders in Brussels to plan a united response to the country’s crimes.
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Mr Johnson insisted Europe would confront Russia with a show of strength as he slammed the country’s government, warning: “They’re not fooling anybody any more.”
The regime hit back at his "slanderous" accusations and warned the UK to apologise for pointing the finger at Russia.
Today experts from the chemical weapons watchdog arrive in Britain to carry out tests on the novichok nerve agent used to poison Russian defector Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia two weeks ago.
Meanwhile Boris has met the foreign ministers of other European countries for crisis talks on how to respond to the Salisbury attack.
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Arriving in the EU capital, the Foreign Secretary said: "I’ve been very heartened already by the strength of the support the UK is getting in respect of the incident in Salisbury.
"Today the technical experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons are arriving in the UK to take the samples from Salisbury and in the meantime the Russian denials grow increasingly absurd.
"At one time they say that they never made novichok, at another time they say they did make novichok but all the stocks have been destroyed, and then again they say that they made novichok and all the stocks have been destroyed but some of them have mysteriously escaped to Sweden or the Czech Republic or Slovakia or the United States or even the UK.
"I think what people can see is this is a classic Russian strategy of trying to conceal the needle of truth in a haystack of lies and obfuscation.
“What really strikes me talking to European friends and partners today is 12 years after the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko in London they’re not fooling anybody anymore.”
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Putin’s mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov told reporters the allegations against Russia were “difficult to explain”, calling them “groundless and slanderous”.
He added that Britain would have to hand over evidence to prove its claims or apologise “sooner or later”.
But EU ministers backed Britain’s tough stance, saying in a statement: “The European Union takes extremely seriously the UK Government's assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible.
“The use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances is completely unacceptable and constitutes a security threat to us all.
“The Union calls on Russia to address urgently the questions raised by the UK and the international community and to provide immediate, full and complete disclosure of its Novichok programme to the OPCW.”
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Speaking alongside Nato boss Jens Stoltenberg this evening, Mr Johnson added: “The poisoning of Sergei Skripal is not an isolated case but the latest in a pattern of reckless behaviour by the Russian state.
“The Russian state has shown itself to have a blatant disregard for international order, international law and our values.”
Mr Stoltenberg said: “The UK is not alone, we are responding as an alliance.
“We are now in the process of implementing the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.”
During a trip to Birmingham today, Theresa May said: "Russia has the capability and I believe the motive and intent and this is part of a pattern of behaviour we see from Russia across Europe.
“This happened in the United Kingdom, it could have happened in another country and our international allies have been strong in their support for us and their recognition that culpability leads to the Russian state.”
Asked if Putin was lying about the attack, the PM replied: “What we have seen shows that there is no other conclusion but that the Russian state is culpable for what happened on the streets of Salisbury.”
Mrs May last week pointed the finger of blame at the government of Vladimir Putin - who has just been elected to a fourth term as president.
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Russia has been developing chemical weapons to kill enemies for a decade, Boris Johnson claims in wake of spy attack
She announced 23 undercover Kremlin spies would be kicked out of Britain, triggering a furious response from Russia with 23 UK diplomats expelled in revenge.
Cabinet Office minister David Lidington today hinted further measures will be taken after the PM meets with security bosses tomorrow.
He said: "The National Security Council will consider as appropriate what other action might be necessary and might be effective."
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Putin’s cronies have refused to explain how a Russian nerve agent came to be deployed on Britain’s streets, instead making fun of the attack and trying to pin the blame on the West.
Yesterday Mr Johnson warned that Russia had been developing ways to assassinate enemies using chemical weapons for a decade.
Mr Skripal and his daughter remain critically ill in hospital, while police officer Nick Bailey is also being treated for exposure to novichok.
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