Theresa May's hard punch against Russia. The British premier announced in the House of Commons the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats (it is the second highest number of expulsions in the history of the United Kingdom), who will have a week to leave the country. The decision is linked to the attempted nerve agent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury. London is convinced that the Kremlin is involved in the case and had asked Moscow to clarify the situation by yesterday evening. However, Russia responded with "contempt" and "sarcasm" to the British ultimatum - May said again - and the only explanation is "that the Russian state is guilty".
The Premier has announced that she has revoked all invitations to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. You also announced that there will be no official delegations or representatives of the royal family at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
But it's not over. May also announced legislative steps to target the assets in Britain of Russian businessmen and officials deemed suspicious in connection with the Skripal case. Then restrictive measures and controls on private flights, on the entrances and on the movements of these people are arriving. Furthermore, the British government intends to "freeze any assets of the Russian state" that it deems usable for hostile purposes.
A spokesman for the EU Commission said that "the use" on European soil "of a military nerve agent is shocking", as it "threatens civilians and endangers the public. We are following the situation closely, we are standing by Britain to obtain justice and we are ready to offer our support if asked".
The UN Security Council will hold a meeting on the Salisbury attack this afternoon at 20 pm Italian time. The meeting was requested by Great Britain, which will update the Fifteen on developments.
