President Trump’s expulsion of 60 Russia officials following the poisoning of a former Russian intelligence official in the United Kingdom is “an exceptionally strong signal” of American leadership, according to Britain.
“This is an exceptionally strong signal of transatlantic unity, US leadership, and support for the UK and Prime Minister Theresa May,” a senior British official said in a statement to reporters Monday. “Together we will continue to stand up to the Russian government’s destabilizing activities around the world.”
The decision to expel the officials and close a Russian consulate in Seattle is part of a broad Western response to the attempted assassination of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, who was convicted of treason and then released to British officials in 2010. The retaliation is taking place in concert with 14 European nations that likewise decided to expel Russian officials over the poisoning.
“The European Council agreed with the United Kingdom government’s assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible and that there is no plausible alternative explanation. EU Council President Donald Tusk said Monday. “Additional measures, including further expulsions within this common EU framework are not to be excluded in the coming days and weeks.”
The praise for U.S. leadership is a feather in Trump’s cap on a topic where he’s been vulnerable since the 2016 campaign, as his criticism of NATO and America First campaign platform sparked fear among allies that he would pull back from long-standing relationships. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has warned that Russia might escalate the use of chemical weapons for assassinations in the absence of a strong response to Skripal’s poisoning.
“[Russia] has now used a chemical weapon within the borders of one of our closest allies,” Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., said Monday. “Here in New York, Russia uses the United Nations as a safe haven for dangerous activities within our own borders. Today, the United States and many of our friends are sending a clear message that we will not stand for Russia’s misconduct.”
Russia denies responsibility for the attack, which May says employed a chemical weapon developed during the Cold War by the Soviet Union.
“[T]he most probable source origin for this chemical are the countries which have since the end of the 90s been carrying out intensive research on these kinds of weapons, including the UK,” Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia told the United Nations Security Council. “If the UK is so firmly convinced this is a [Soviet-era] Novichok gas, then that means that they have the samples of this and they have the formula for this and they are capable of manufacturing it.”
