Secretary of State Rex Tillerson blamed Russia for the poisoning of a former spy who collapsed in southern England, joining United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May’s condemnation of the attack.
“We have full confidence in the UK’s investigation and its assessment that Russia was likely responsible for the nerve agent attack that took place in Salisbury last week,” Tillerson said in a Monday evening statement.
May blamed Russia for the poisoning of a former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia. The pair are in critical condition after being felled by “a weapons-grade nerve agent,” she told the British Parliament.
The charge places the Skripals on a lengthy list of assassinations and assassination attempts widely-attributed to the Russian government, including more than a dozen in British territory.
May set a Wednesay deadline for Russia to explain the incident.
“Should there be no credible response, we will conclude that this action amounts to an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the United Kingdom,” she said.
Tillerson endorsed the concept of such retaliation. “We agree that those responsible – both those who committed the crime and those who ordered it – must face appropriately serious consequences,” he said. “We stand in solidarity with our Allies in the United Kingdom and will continue to coordinate closely our responses.”
Skripal was convicted of treason in 2004, for spying on behalf of the United Kingdom, but was then released to British authorities as part of a spy swap in 2010.
“There is never a justification for this type of attack – the attempted murder of a private citizen on the soil of a sovereign nation – and we are outraged that Russia appears to have again engaged in such behavior,” Tillerson said. “From Ukraine to Syria – and now the UK – Russia continues to be an irresponsible force of instability in the world, acting with open disregard for the sovereignty of other states and the life of their citizens.”
