France, Germany, Canada, US back Britain over Salisbury poisoning

United States, France, Germany and Canada today backed Britain's assessment that two suspects accused of poisoning a Russian ex-spy and his daughter in the UK were Russian military intelligence officers, and that the Russian government "almost certainly" approved the attack. 

The leaders the United States, France, Germany, Canada and the UK in a joint statement said, we reiterate our outrage at the use of a chemical nerve agent, known as Novichok, in Salisbury on March 4.

Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, were poisoned with the



military-grade nerve agent Novichok in the English city of Salisbury in March, in a case that triggered a diplomatic crisis between the UK and Russia. 

  

The leaders also urged Russia to fully disclose its Novichok program to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, an international watchdog.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin today rejected accusations by British authorities that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ultimately responsible for poisoning a former spy in England, and said Russia is not going to investigate the suspects.