No Change in UK’s Position on Salisbury Attack, Boris Johnson tells Vladimir Putin

UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Russian President Vladimir Putin that UK’s stance on the Salisbury incident would not change, 10 Downing Street stated on Sunday.

The two leaders met in Berlin on the sidelines of the Berlin Conference on Libya. As per the conversation released by 10 Downing Street, Johnson was clear and adhered firmly to the stand taken on the Salisbury incident. He added that such an attack must not be repeated on UK’s soil, as per the statement from 10 Downing Street.

The Prime Minister stated that there would be no normalization on the bilateral relations with Russia until they destabilize action that threatens the UK and risks the safety of the citizens of the UK and our collective defense.

In March 2018, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent in Salisbury. Dawn Sturgess, a local woman, subsequently died in the hospital after she accidentally came in contact with the poisonous substance.

When the government investigated and found evidence pointing towards Moscow, UK said that they suspect Russian nationals Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, who worked for Russian intelligence and carried out the attack. 

After this, more than twenty western countries suspended Russian envoys in a coordinated reply. Pointing towards the absence of evidence, Moscow dismissed the allegations.

Prime Minister Johnson also added in his statement that both the UK and Russia had a responsibility to address issues of international security challenges, including in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.