Western allies back Britain in Russian spy affair

In a rare joint statement, leaders of the United States, France, and Germany backed Britain in accusing Russia of using a nerve agent to attack a former spy earlier this month. U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and British Prime Minister Theresa May in a statement called the attack “the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War.” On March 4, British authorities found Sergei Skripal, who formerly spied on Russia for the United Kingdom, and his adult daughter, Yulia, collapsed on a bench in Salisbury in an apparent attack with Novichok, a Soviet-era, military-grade nerve agent. They remain in critical condition. The leaders said the chemical weapon attack assaulted U.K. sovereignty and was “a breach of international law.” Russia has denied responsibility for the attack. Earlier on Wednesday, May expelled 23 Russian diplomats and imposed other diplomatic measures after Russia failed to offer any explanation for the attack. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin would decide how to retaliate, “and there is no doubt that he will choose the option that best reflects Russian interests.”