The Kremlin stresses Moscow is not linked to
the incident with former Russian spy Sergey Skripal who was poisoned with a
nerve agent in the UK.
MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/. Moscow is not linked to the incident with former Russian spy Sergey Skripal who was poisoned with a nerve agent in the United Kingdom, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
"Moscow’s
stance is well-known, London was told about Moscow’s position through
diplomatic channels: Moscow has no connection to the incident that took place
in the United Kingdom," Peskov said. "Moscow won’t accept absolutely
unfounded accusations against it, which are not substantiated by any evidence,
and won’t accept the language of ultimatum," Peskov stressed.
Meanwhile, Russia is "open for cooperation in investigating" the incident, but unfortunately, the British are not showing this readiness, the Kremlin spokesman stressed.
"Stay
sober, do not succumb to emotions and lies," Peskov told reporters.
Asked by
the media if Moscow feared the risk of international isolation over the Skripal
affair, Peskov said, "We hope that common sense will prevail and that
other countries will at least stop to think if there is any proof or there is
none, and if reproaches against Moscow have grounds to rely on."
Asked why
his statements about Russia’s non-involvement in the Skripal incident were to
be believed, especially in the wake of other accusations addressed to Russia
from other countries, Peskov recalled that "we have not seen any
confirmation of hacker attacks, fictitious hacker attacks by Russia, to this
day." "As far as Crimea is concerned, there was no annexation neither
de facto nor de jure. There were legitimate decisions taken by the Crimean
parliament and confirmed in a referendum, so any such charges - both their
essence and form - are wrong.
"Common
sense prompts and demonstrates that no grounds for charges [in connection with
the Skripal case] can exist," Peskov stressed.
"Russia
has nothing to do with the incident whatsoever," he reiterated. Peskov
refused to discuss any versions of the incident. "That’s none of our
business - to voice any versions of what happened. The Kremlin does not
investigate crimes or incidents, let alone those that took place in the
territory of another country," he explained.
"As
you understand, any illegal actions against any Russian media outlet in the
United Kingdom will lead to retaliatory steps," he said. "What kind
of steps will be taken? Those that would serve Russia’s interests in the best
way," Peskov added.
British
media watchdog Ofcom said earlier that Russia’s RT TV channel may be stripped
of its broadcasting license in case British investigating authorities came to
the conclusion that Russia was involved in the poisoning of former intelligence
officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter. RT, in turn, said that it opposed the
position taken by Ofcom, saying that "by linking RT to unrelated matters,
Ofcom is conflating its role as a broadcasting regulator with matters of state.
"As
for British media outlets, they showed their ‘quality’ in this story as well.
They hardly deserve any attention here as a reliable source of
information," the Kremlin spokesman told reporters.
He said as much in response to a request to comment on recent reports by British media outlets. They asserted that London could apply a provision of the NATO member-countries, which states that an attack against one alliance’s member is regarded as an attack against all allies. However, he refrained from answering a question on whether Moscow is ready to respond.
Skripal case
Former
Russian military intelligence (GRU) Colonel Sergey Skripal, 66, and his
33-year-old daughter Yulia on March 4 suffered from the effects of a nerve
agent. They were found unconscious on a shopping mall bench in Salisbury,
southern England. Both are now in hospital in critical condition.
In 2004,
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested Skripal and later on, he was
sentenced to 13 years in prison for high treason. Six years later, the former
colonel was handed over to the US as part of a swap deal involving espionage
suspects. Later that same year, Skripal settled down in Britain.
On Monday,
UK Prime Minister Theresa May said Russia was "highly likely"
responsible for Skripal’s poisoning, calling it a "reckless,
indiscriminate and irresponsible" act against the United Kingdom. She
claimed that the nerve gas, known as Novichok, had been developed in the Soviet
Union.
May warned
that if Moscow’s explanations did not satisfy London, new sanctions against
Russia would be discussed on Wednesday at the meeting of the UK's National
Security Council.
On Tuesday,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow had no connection to this
case.
He also
said Russia had not received any request from the United Kingdom on the
substance allegedly used in the Salisbury incident.
Under the
Chemical Weapons Convention, the UK must have contacted with Russia granting it
access to the substance. In line with the document, the suspected party has 10
days to respond to the request.
Source:
ITAR-TASS 14-03-2018
