The United States supports the European Council's decision to sanction nine individuals, including four Russians, and an entity in connection to the Skripal poisoning case, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2019) The United States supports the European Council's decision to sanction nine individuals, including four Russians, and an entity in connection to the Skripal poisoning case, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Tuesday."We applaud the EU for approving the first sanctions designation under its new chemical weapons sanctions authority, and stand firmly united in the conviction that chemical weapons use will not be tolerated," Pompeo said via Twitter.
On Monday, the European Council imposed sanctions on nine individuals, including Russian intelligence officials, and one Syrian entity over the use and proliferation of chemical weapons.
On March 4, 2018, former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping center in Salisbury. The UK government has claimed the Skripals were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent Novichok and accused Russia of staging the attack.
In addition, the UK government also said it suspected Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov of working for Russian intelligence and executing the Salisbury attack.
Russia has repeatedly has denied being involved in the incident and pointed out the UK government has not provided any evidence for its allegations as well as failed to cooperate to jointly investigate the incident as per international law.
Petrov and Boshirov have also denied any involvement in the attack on the Skripals.
