EU leaders decided today to recall the bloc’s envoy to Russia after backing Britain’s assessment that Moscow was likely behind a nerve agent attack on an ex-spy, officials said. A number of EU countries are also considering expelling Russian diplomats or recalling their own envoys following the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England.

“After agreeing on attribution, they continued the discussions on how could they go beyond just words and actually really have some deeds,” a senior EU official said after the first day of the summit. “Some member states are looking into possibly expelling Russian diplomats or recalling national diplomats. “But there was also an agreement to recall the EU ambassador to Moscow for consultations.”

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte confirmed the recall of the EU envoy. Another EU source told AFP the recall was a “show of intent”. The 28 EU leaders said in a statement “that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible and that there is no plausible alternative explanation”.

Lithuania’s outspoken President Dalia Grybauskaite said on the way into the summit that she was giving serious thought to following Britain’s lead in taking steps against Moscow. Britain has expelled 23 Russian diplomats and severed some high-level ties. “All of us we are considering such measures,” Grybauskaite said. </s> Brussels (CNN) The European Union is recalling its Russian ambassador over the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain, as the bloc rallied firmly behind the United Kingdom in its worsening diplomatic dispute with Russia.

The EU's envoy in Moscow will return over the weekend "for consultations" while some member states were preparing to follow Britain's lead and expel Russian diplomats over the affair.

In a joint statement, EU leaders said they agreed with UK Prime Minister Theresa May that it was "highly likely" that Moscow was responsible for the attack on the Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, southern England, on March 4. The statement added that "there is no plausible alternative explanation."

"The threat from Russia is one that respects no borders and I think it is clear that Russia is challenging the values we share as Europeans and it is right that we are standing together in defense of those values," May said on Friday.

"I think what is crucial, though, is that there (was) recognition around the table last night about the threat that Russia poses," she added.

Speaking ahead of Friday's European Council meeting of EU leaders in Brussels, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: "We agreed as a European Union to express full solidarity with the United Kingdom -- to agree with their assessment as to who is behind the Salisbury attack, and also to recall the EU ambassador to Russia to Brussels for consultations."

He added that "individual countries will decide in the coming days whether they want to take additional actions."

Ireland, Denmark, Lithuania and the Czech Republic were considering further measures, including the expulsion of diplomats.

After meeting with May in Brussels on Thursday night, EU leaders expressed the bloc's "unqualified solidarity with the United Kingdom in the face of this grave challenge to our shared security."

Russia has furiously denied claims it was involved in the attack, sparking a diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia regretted the European leaders' decision to recall the EU ambassador, adding that his country had not had access to the information on which the decision was based.

Asked how Russia would respond if other individual EU nations recalled their ambassadors, Peskov said: "First, we need to wait for any decisions and understand on what basis they were taken. Then we can start talking about something."

Varadkar said Ireland expected to make a formal decision on expulsions early next week.

"What we will now consider in the coming days is whether we want to take individual action relating to Russian diplomats in Ireland," he said. "Bear in mind, what the United Kingdom did was to expel 23 diplomats who they believed weren't actually diplomats. So, we would have to do a security assessment -- just like they did -- before that. We're not going to randomly expel people who are genuine diplomats."

Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels that his government would "take into very close consideration" in the coming days whether to take a unilateral step.

"I have just briefed my minister of foreign affairs and he will now go to the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Parliament later this morning, and then my government will in the next coming days very, very seriously consider to take further steps," he said.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is moving toward a decision to expel Russian diplomats, his spokeswoman Barbora Peterová told CNN.

Asked in Brussels if Lithuania was also considering expelling Russian diplomats, President Dalia Grybauskaite said: "The united response was yesterday and, from the beginning of next week, a lot of countries will go for our national measures."

The European Council said Thursday that member states would have to coordinate on how to proceed following the attack, including what the consequences should be for Russia going forward.

"The use of chemical weapons, including the use of any toxic chemicals as weapons under any circumstances, is completely unacceptable, must be systematically and rigorously condemned and constitutes a security threat to us all," its statement said.

Speaking to reporters as she arrived in Brussels on Thursday, May said Russia had staged a "brazen and reckless attack" against her country.

"It's clear that the Russian threat does not respect borders and indeed the incident in Salisbury was part of a pattern of Russian aggression against Europe and its near neighbors," she said.

Varadkar said after the meeting that other countries beside the United Kingdom had shared their intelligence assessments on what happened in Salisbury.

In a briefing Friday at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, deputy spokesman Artyom Kozhin said EU condemnation of the incident in Salisbury was "regrettable."

Kozhin said the European Council's statement Thursday agreeing with the British assessment of likely Russian responsibility "is in essence an unproven allegation" against Russia.

"We are fully prepared to work with the British, but the British side is avoiding cooperation," he said. "We believe that it is possible to continue an exchange of views within the framework of the appropriate international structure, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons."

Technical experts from the OPCW have been in Salisbury this week, collecting samples for further analysis.

A British court ruled Thursday that they could take blood samples from the Skripals to check against the analysis performed by the UK military's Porton Down research laboratory.

"The precise effect of their exposure on their long-term health remains unclear, albeit medical tests indicate that their mental capacity might be compromised to an unknown and so far unascertained degree," Judge David Williams wrote in his judgment allowing access to the Skripals.

Court documents quoted an unidentified doctor as saying the Skirpals were both heavily sedated and unable to communicate, and that it was not possible to assess to what extent either would be able to regain mental capacity.

A total of 21 people received medical attention after the incident, including Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who was discharged from the hospital Thursday, according to a statement from Wiltshire Police.

Russia's ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, hinted Thursday at possible British involvement in the poisoning, as he questioned how British authorities could have so quickly determined the type of poison used in the attack. </s> Brussels, March 23 (IANS) The EU has recalled its ambassador from Moscow after leaders on the continent sided with Britain over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in the UK, saying it was “highly likely” Moscow was responsible for the attack.

Following a summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the response to the Salisbury nerve agent attack, the European Council of EU leaders agreed “there was no plausible alternative explanation”, the BBC reported.

“We stand in unqualified solidarity with the UK in the face of this grave challenge to our shared security,” the statement by the European Council said.

British leader Theresa May said the Salisbury poisoning was “part of a pattern of Russian aggression against Europe”.

Moscow denies responsibility for the attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. They remain in a critical but stable condition after the attack on March 4.

The EU said its ambassador to Russia was recalled “for consultations”. European Council’s President Donald Tusk tweeted that all leaders agreed Russia’s responsibility for the attack was highly likely.

France, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were reportedly considering expelling Russian diplomats as requested by the UK government, in a coordinated strike against Moscow, according to a Guardian report.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said: “All of us, we are considering such measures.” She added that she had not congratulated Putin on his re-election.

On Thursday night, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the EU ambassador to Russia was being recalled to consult with Brussels over the Salisbury attack. Rutte characterised this as a “measure” rather than a formal “sanction” against Moscow.

Britain had expelled 23 Russian diplomats in retaliation for the nerve agent attack. In the run-up to Thursday’s summit, British officials shared intelligence with their EU counterparts about the issue.

Theresa May also met German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in Brussels and a spokesperson of Downing 10 claimed that “the UK, Germany and France reaffirmed that there is no plausible explanation other than that the Russian state was responsible”.

The three leaders agreed on “the importance of sending a strong European message in response to Russia’s actions and agreed to remain in close contact in coming days,” a spokesperson was quoted as saying. </s> Russia says Britain has one month to reduce diplomatic presence: foreign ministry

Also Russia on Friday informed the Dutch ambassador of the expulsion of two diplomats in a tit-for-tat measure over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in Britain, TASS state news agency reported.

Dutch Ambassador Renee Jones-Bos told TASS state news agency: “Two of my colleagues are leaving Moscow. But we (the embassy) are staying here.”

More so on Friday Russia government summoned European ambassadors to the foreign ministry to inform them of retaliatory measures to the expulsion of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of a former Russian double-agent in Britain.

Ambassadors from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia as well as several non-EU member countries arrived on Friday afternoon, an AFP photographer saw. </s> Russia's ambassador has written to the police officer treated in hospital after the Salisbury attack, wishing him a "full recovery" and assuring him Russia had "nothing to do with this reckless incident".

Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey was discharged from hospital on Thursday after several weeks of treatment.

He was one of the first to respond to the nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Alexander Yakovenko, Russia's UK ambassador, wrote: "I was relieved to hear you were released from hospital and reunited with your family. I wish you full recovery and hope that you will be able to return to your normal life as soon as possible.

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your bravery when reacting to the assault on two Russian nationals, Sergei and Yulia Skripal, on 4 March in Salisbury, who I hope will get well soon too.

"Please be assured that Russia has nothing to do with this reckless incident and is ready to cooperate with the British authorities with regard to the investigation both bilaterally and through international organisations."

After leaving hospital, DS Bailey, 38, said in a written statement that his experience had been "completely surreal".

He said: "People ask me how I am feeling - but there are really no words to explain how I feel right now.

"I have been so very overwhelmed by the support, cards and messages I have received - everyone has been so incredible."

His wife, Sarah, also released a statement that said their world had been "turned upside down" and the attack was "the most traumatic event of our life".

The ambassador's letter strikes a different tone to his news conference in London earlier this week where he hit back at UK government assertions that Russia was behind the nerve agent attack.

Mr Yakovenko told reporters that Russia "can't take British words for granted," and accused the UK of having a "bad record of violating international law and misleading the international community".

The diplomatic fallout from the Salisbury incident on 4 March continues.

A "large number" of EU countries are set to impose tougher sanctions on Russia after agreeing with the UK claim that the Russian state is to blame.

It is understood nations including France, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania are preparing to expel Russian diplomats - or spies posing as diplomats - from their countries.

Britain has already expelled diplomats from the London embassy, and Russia has now followed suit.

Meanwhile, the bench where the Skripals were found frothing at the mouth and unable to control their bodies has been removed.

Police in chemical suits wrapped it in plastic film and used an angle grinder to cut it from the ground, before hauling it into a back of a van.

It is being kept as evidence as part of the attempted murder investigation.

Sergei and Yulia Skripal remain critical and largely unresponsive in hospital.

A court on Thursday approved a request for international chemical weapons experts to take a sample of their blood to check the UK's view that they were poisoned with the novichok nerve agent.

The Court of Protection said it was unclear whether they will recover, and if they do their mental capacity could be affected to an unknown degree. </s> Moscow, Russia - Fourteen European Union countries have taken a decision to expel Russian diplomats, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council said on Monday. The decision was made last Friday during a meeting of EU leaders.

Earlier on Monday, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania withdrew their ambassadors from Moscow, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing "unknown reasons" for the move.

Brussels already recalled Markus Ederer, head of the European Union Delegation in Russia, for consultations. The move came days after London expelled 23 Russian diplomats and Moscow responded with the same measure.

Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian presidency, told Russian media that Russia has not received any official notification from the US regarding expulsion of Russian diplomats and that Moscow is ready to respond in kind.

"Of course, in any such case [of expulsions], it is clear that the principal of reciprocity will be employed," he said.

Tensions in UK-Russian relations escalated after UK Prime Minister Theresa May accused Russia of poisoning former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a nerve agent.

On March 4, Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench near a shopping centre in the town of Salisbury, 120km southwest of London. They are both still in a critical condition at Salisbury Discrict Hospital.

Skripal is a former Russian military intelligence officer accused of spying for the UK. He was imprisoned in 2006 and later exchanged for Russian citizens accused of espionage in the US.

On March 19, representatives of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) collected samples and their results are expected to be released in a week.

According to Russian analyst and journalist Konstantin Eggert, if the results of the OPCW investigation show a Russian link, the diplomatic crisis would worsen.

"Moscow will now try to divide the EU into two camps - the radical pro-British camp and those who they would think followed the EU because of the demands for solidarity rather than out of conviction," Eggert said.

In his opinion, the UK will also gradually escalate its meadures against Russia.

"It is quite conceivable to me that quite soon there will be a British version of the Magnitsky Law and it seems that the desire to clamp down on Russian wealth in the UK is the most serious of all others over the last 15-17 years," he said.

On the eve of the latest expulsions of Russian diplomats, Russian state media dedicated much time to appearances of officials and coverage of the Skripal case, claiming that Russia has been falsely accused of poisoning Skripal.

"What Britain is doing right now is black PR on an international scale," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zaharova on state TV channel Rossiya 1.

She said that Britain is rushing in its investigation and sending "illiterate" responses to inquiries of the Russian embassy in London. She also questioned the validity of the OPCW investigation.

Earlier the same day, Peskov told Russian state channel NTV that the Britain's behaviour "is bordering on banditry in international relations. What is behind this? Either internal problems in Britain or problems between Britain and its allies, or something else."

Meanwhile, state TV channel Rossiya 24 aired an extensive report on the Skripal case claiming that May is "lying" because nerve gas agent "Novichok" does not exist.

The same day, a popular on Rossiya 1 late-night talk show with Vladimir Solovyev, a media personality thought to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, featured an interview with a Russia chemical weapons specialist who alleged that the US has also developed a substance like the one believed to have poisoned Skripal and his daughter.

According to Mark Galeotti, senior research fellow at the Institute of International Relations in Prague, the targeting of Skripal was meant to send a signal to the West.

"Presumably, if they decided to target Skripal […], they had two options - one, do it subtly, and two, do it demonstratively and they clearly made a choice," Galeotti told Al Jazeera.

In his opinion, Russia will continue to employ similar provocative tactics with the West.

"[These tactics] keep Russia bubbling up in the news and in the attention of the West," he said.

"Putin's aim is to force the West into recognising Russia as a big power." </s> The EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini held crisis talks with the bloc's ambassador to Moscow Sunday after he was recalled over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in England.

EU leaders summoned envoy Markus Ederer back to Brussels for consultations as international pressure builds on Moscow over the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the British city of Salisbury.

At a summit on Friday, the bloc unanimously backed Britain's assessment that the Kremlin was to blame for the incident -- the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since World War 2.

In a brief statement on Sunday, Mogherini's office said she had held "consultations with the Head of European Union Delegation in the Russian Federation".

No further details were given beyond saying Ederer would "continue institutional consultations in the coming days".

A number of European countries are expected to take further steps to punish Moscow on Monday, with the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Denmark and Ireland considering expelling Russian diplomats.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that further coordinated actions were "necessary" to respond to the attack, while French officials have said Paris too was ready to act.

Britain and Russia have expelled 23 of each other's diplomats in tit-for-tat exchanges, while Moscow has also shut down the operations of the British Council cultural organisation in its territory.

Moscow denies any involvement in the attack on the Skripals and has accused Britain of orchestrating a campaign against it.

On Saturday the BBC reported that Skripal had written to Russian President Vladimir Putin several years ago asking for a pardon for selling secrets to British intelligence.

Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter are both in a coma after being poisoned with a nerve agent -- identified as the Soviet-made "Novichok" by the British government -- on March 4. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The war of words between the UK and Russia

The EU has recalled its ambassador to Moscow after leaders agreed it was "highly likely" Russia was responsible for a nerve agent attack in the UK.

The European Council of EU leaders said there was "no plausible alternative".

Moscow denies responsibility for the attack on an ex-spy and his daughter and said the EU was following an "anti-Russian campaign launched by London".

Meanwhile, British diplomats expelled from Russia have left the embassy in Moscow ahead of Russia's deadline.

Russia decided to expel the British diplomats in a tit-for-tat response to the UK's expulsion of 23 of its diplomats.

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia remain in a critical but stable condition after the attack on 4 March.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed the EU support, saying that it was right "we are standing together" as the threat posed by Russia "respects no borders and it is a threat to our values".

The EU said its ambassador to Russia, German Markus Ederer, was recalled "for consultations" and was expected in Brussels over the weekend.

The European Council statement added: "We stand in unqualified solidarity with the United Kingdom in the face of this grave challenge to our shared security."

Image copyright Reuters Image caption A convoy of vehicles leaves the British Embassy in Moscow ahead of Russia's deadline for 23 UK diplomats to leave the country

In response, Russia's foreign ministry said: "We regret that the EU chose to follow another anti-Russian campaign launched by London and its allies from across the ocean, with the obvious purpose of creating yet another obstacle to normalising the situation on the European continent."

Mrs May briefed her counterparts on Thursday on the poisoning of the Skripals, who were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury.

The prime minister set out the evidence the UK has against Russia - including the positive identification of the chemical used as a type of Novichok nerve agent and the knowledge that Russia has produced this agent within the last 10 years.

Asked if she had relied on UK intelligence information to convince EU allies, Mrs May said the UK had been sharing "throughout" the investigation "what intelligence we can share with our colleagues".

She said: "What is crucial is that there was recognition around the table about the threat that Russia poses."

Analysis

By Laura Kuenssberg, BBC political editor

It might not sound much, but a few small words can make a big difference.

The president of the European Council has used the prime minister's language about the Salisbury attack, accepting and agreeing with the British verdict that there is no other "plausible" explanation for what happened.

That is a small, but significantly different, tone to the statement a few days ago.

EU ministers would only say: "The European Union takes extremely seriously the UK government's assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible."

The sentiment then was, OK, it might have been them - but you haven't convinced us yet.

Read more from Laura

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May said, after talks, that it was "right that we stand together"

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he supported the EU's position "very strongly" and Ireland could expel Russian officials if they were shown to be acting as intelligence agents.

He said there would be a security assessment in the coming days with a decision as early as next week.

Lithuania, Czech Republic and Latvia have also said they were considering expelling suspected Russian spies from their countries.

But Greek PM Alexis Tsipras said that while he wanted to "express solidarity" with Britain, "we also need to be responsible on that issue".

Why does the EU have ambassadors?

The European Union has a network of 140 delegations around the world which represent the EU abroad.

The EU nominates ambassadors to those embassies. They play a key role in presenting, explaining and implementing the EU's foreign policies to their host country.

The current EU ambassador to Russia is German diplomat Markus Ederer, who has previously been responsible for China and Mongolia. </s> EU's High representative for foreign affairs and security policy Federica Mogherini spoke to the press as she arrived on the first day of a summit of European Union (EU) leaders at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on March 22, 2018

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Brussels (AFP)

The EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini held crisis talks with the bloc's ambassador to Moscow Sunday after he was recalled over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in England.

EU leaders summoned envoy Markus Ederer back to Brussels for consultations as international pressure builds on Moscow over the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the British city of Salisbury.

At a summit on Friday, the bloc unanimously backed Britain's assessment that the Kremlin was to blame for the incident -- the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since World War 2.

In a brief statement on Sunday, Mogherini's office said she had held "consultations with the Head of European Union Delegation in the Russian Federation".

No further details were given beyond saying Ederer would "continue institutional consultations in the coming days".

A number of European countries are expected to take further steps to punish Moscow on Monday, with the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Denmark and Ireland considering expelling Russian diplomats.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that further coordinated actions were "necessary" to respond to the attack, while French officials have said Paris too was ready to act.

Britain and Russia have expelled 23 of each other's diplomats in tit-for-tat exchanges, while Moscow has also shut down the operations of the British Council cultural organisation in its territory.

Moscow denies any involvement in the attack on the Skripals and has accused Britain of orchestrating a campaign against it.

On Saturday the BBC reported that Skripal had written to Russian President Vladimir Putin several years ago asking for a pardon for selling secrets to British intelligence.

Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter are both in a coma after being poisoned with a nerve agent -- identified as the Soviet-made "Novichok" by the British government -- on March 4.

© 2018 AFP
The EU ambassador to Russia is recalled from Moscow.