MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said London must clarify its position on the poisoning of a former double agent in the UK before any discussion with Moscow, agencies said.
“Sort things out from your side and then we will discuss this with you,” the president said in response to a question from a BBC journalist, Interfax news agency reported.
Senior British politicians have pointed the finger at Russia for trying to kill Sergei Skripal, who sold secrets to Britain and later moved there in a 2010 spy swap, prompting repeated denials from Moscow.
Prime Minister Theresa May is set to address the House of Commons later on Monday, after receiving an update on the investigation into the attack on Skripal and his daughter Yulia this month.
“If we get to a position when we are able to attribute this attack then we will do so and the government will deliver an appropriate response,” May’s spokesman said.
Tom Tugendhat, a lawmaker who chairs the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, told BBC radio: “Frankly, I would be surprised if she did not point the finger at the Kremlin.”
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier on Monday once again denied any involvement.
“The Russian citizen you mention... worked on one of Britain’s special services, the incident took place on British territory, and it is in no way an issue for Russia, let alone for Russian leadership,” he said.
SET TO WIN RE-ELECTION: Putin will return to the Kremlin with 69 per cent of the vote, according to the last survey by state pollsters before the Russian presidential election on Sunday.
The figure has dipped from highs of 77 per cent shortly after Putin announced his candidacy in December, but there is little doubt he will win in a landslide even after a lacklustre campaign.
“There are several reasons why Putin has such a high rating. There are of course his personal qualities. He is the most trusted (candidate),” head of state pollster VTsIOM Valeriy Fyodorov told a press conference on Monday.
Around 90 per cent of people who were aware of Putin’s programme said they supported it, Fyodorov said.
Putin has not produced an official programme but he discussed poverty and environmental issues during a state of the nation address this month.
He has refused to take part in televised debates with his seven challengers and his campaign videos have relied solely on archive materials.
Pavel Grudinin, the millionaire Communist Party candidate, is expected to come in second with around seven or eight per cent of the vote, according to VTsIOM figures.
— AFP
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