UK: May confronts Putin over Salisbury attacks

By Muhammad Mussa

LONDON (AA) - Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday at the G20 summit in Japan, British Prime Minister Theresa May confronted him over the Salisbury poisonings that took place last year.

After exchanging handshakes with Putin, in which May appeared stern, the two held a 40-minute closed-door meeting where she sought answers about the near-deaths of a Russian dissident and his daughter in the town of Salisbury, and the death of a local resident in the town of Amesbury.

“The Prime Minister said that the use of a deadly nerve agent on the streets of Salisbury formed part of a wider pattern of unacceptable behaviour and was a truly despicable act that led to the death of a British citizen, Dawn Sturgess,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.

“She was clear that the UK has irrefutable evidence that Russia was behind the attack -- based on painstaking investigations and cooperation with our allies,” the spokesperson added.

May reportedly told Putin that relations between the U.K. and Russia cannot be normalized unless Russia stops its destabilizing and irresponsible activities that pose a threat to the U.K. and its allies. Such activities, such as the spread of disinformation, hostile interventions, and cyber-attacks, also undermine Russia’s standing in the world, she said.

May also told Putin that the perpetrators of the nerve-agent attack must be brought to account and face justice, reiterating the government’s stance that such behavior will never be repeated on British soil. May said the U.K. remains open to a different relationship but for that to happen, Russia must choose a different path.

Prior to the meeting, in an interview with the Financial Times, Putin attacked liberalism, declaring it “obsolete” and that it had “outlived its purpose.” Putin also criticized multiculturalism and the open borders that gave rise to the phenomena.

“Listen, all this fuss about spies and counterspies, it is not worth serious interstate relations. This Skripal spy story, as we say, it is not worth five kopeks. Or even £5, for that matter,” he said.

Sergei Skripal and his daughter were admitted to a hospital after being found unconscious in March 2018 in Salisbury. They were later discharged from the Salisbury District Hospital.

In another incident, British authorities say involved the same nerve-agent in Amesbury, a woman died and a man fell seriously ill. Dawn Sturgess, 44, fell ill on June 30 after handling an item contaminated with the nerve agent and was taken to a hospital, where she died on July 8. Her partner, Charlie Rowley, 45, was also exposed to the nerve agent and taken to hospital in critical condition