April 4, 2018

An ally of Angela Merkel has raised doubts over Britain’s global push to isolate Moscow after the Porton Down defence laboratory could not confirm that the Salisbury nerve agent came from Russia.

President Putin also seized on the admission by Gary Aitkenhead, head of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, that he had not identified the “precise source” of the poison used against Sergei and Yulia Skripal.

In an interview that caused dismay in No 10, Mr Aitkenhead said his laboratories had identified it as a military-grade novichok nerve agent which could probably be deployed only by a nation state. Mr Putin said that given the lack of precise information about the agent’s origin “the speed at which the anti-Russian campaign has been launched causes bewilderment”.

Read more:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/may-battles-to-preserve-alliance-against-russia-qcwkzlt63