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With Agency reports
Russia has summoned the UK ambassador to Moscow over his country’s allegations tht Russia was behind an attempt to kill a former spy on British soil.
The UK is threatening to san tion Russia heavily and has given President Vladimir Putin 24 hours to explain itself.
Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has denied Russian involvement in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer living in the UK, and his daughter Yulia, with a Soviet-era nerve agent in Salisbury.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, he described British findings as “nonsense”, saying Russia had “nothing to do with it”. Mr Lavrov added that Russia would not respond to Britain’s request to explain its alleged role until Moscow is allowed access to the case materials.
His words: “We are expecting the United Kingdom to reply to our request that we sent in accordance with the [Chemical Weapons Convention] to present the substance in question to us and to open the entire investigation to us, because it involves a Russian citizen [Mr Skripal’s daughter].”