Lavrov on Skripal Case: Russia to Expel UK Diplomats in Response

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10:58 15.03.2018(updated 15:40 15.03.2018)Get short URL

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Alleged Poisoning Attack on Russian Ex-Spy Skripal in UK (71)

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The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Kremlin have spoken out a day after the UK prime minister announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats as a response the alleged poisoning of former intelligence officer Sergei Skripal.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview to Sputnik that Russia would "definitely" expel UK diplomats soon, adding that it would take place "soon."

"[Moscow will be ready to return to a partnership with Brussels] when our European neighbors lose interest in following the US Russophobic tendencies, including sanctions and provocations and when, of course, the interest to put up with the outrageous actions that we are seeing now on the part of the UK government, will disappear, and which go far beyond the bounds of elementary decency. We calmly respond to all these tricks by the fact that we want to talk with everyone and discuss any problems… but do it respectfully, without hysteria," Lavrov told reporters.

According to the minister, London's actions over the poisoning of Skripal were caused, particularly, by the UK inability to fulfill Brexit obligations.

"I think that this story primarily reflects the desperation of the current UK government, especially in the situation where they cannot ensure these promises they made to their population in relation to leaving the European Union," Lavrov said.

Lavrov expressed hope that Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal poisoned in the United Kingdom recovers and will be able to shed light on the situation connected with this incident.

"This is the fact that Sergei Skripal is alive and his daughter is alive. Probably if, I hope, they recover, they will also be able to shed some light on everything that has happened," Lavrov said in a statement published by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

At the same time, the minister noted that "no one wants to wait for this" as part of the investigation of the incident, and that everything had already been decided in the investigation into Moscow's alleged involvement in the poisoning of Skripal.

'Great Bewilderment' — Kremlin on UK Response to Skripal Alleged Poisoning

Commenting on the issue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that UK accusations against Russia in relations to the Skripal poisoning case have all signs of provocation, adding that Moscow was puzzled over the UK's stance on the poisoning of Skripal.

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Swiss Paper Blows the Lid Off Alleged Ukraine's Secret NATO-Backed Base

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13:52 04.03.2018Get short URL

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While Washington ostensibly supports the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine-Donbass conflict, new revelations - if true - do not add to these claims and on the contrary seem to be in sync with the approval of US weapons to Kiev.

The Swiss newspaper Le Temps has reported about scores of US and Canadian instructors training Ukrainian servicemen at the former Soviet firing range Yavorov in western Ukraine.

The newspaper described a 26 kilometer (16 mile)-long and 19 kilometer (11,8 mile)-wide firing range as one of the most secret places in Ukraine, where the country's soldiers have been trained by foreign instructors since 2015.

The main goal of training is to significantly improve the qualification of Ukrainian armypersonnel, which will allow them to adapt more quickly to NATO standards and learn how to fight better, according to Le Temps.

READ MORE: Neo-Nazis Recruit Far-Right Activists From UK to Fight in Ukraine – Reports

Conducted on a permanent basis, training is based on the principle of permanent drills, which continue until the Ukrainian servicemen will be able to handle a mission against a simulated enemy.

The newspaper cited one of the Canadian instructors as saying that right now, Ukraine is not ready to join NATO and that it is unlikely to do so in the next fifteen years.