The United States, EU members, NATO and other nations across three continents have announced the expulsion of over 150 Russian diplomats in a coordinated action against Moscow which they accuse of poisoning an ex-spy in Britain.

Here is a list updated to Wednesday of the countries involved and the number of Russians already expelled or put on notice to leave.

US, Canada, Australia

The United States: Expelled 60 alleged "spies" posted around the country and at the Russian mission to the United Nations.&nbsp

It also closed the Russian consulate in Seattle over alleged spying at the nearby Kitsap submarine base and Boeing.

The retaliation against Moscow was taken "in response to Russia's use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

Canada: Ousted four diplomats, calling the nerve agent attack "a despicable, heinous and reckless act".

Australia: Followed suit with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying two Russian diplomats had seven days to leave.

NATO&nbsp

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was expelling seven Russian diplomats and denying accreditation to three more.

"This will send a clear message to Russia that there are costs and consequences for their unacceptable pattern of behaviour," Stoltenberg said.

European Union

Eighteen EU nations have joined Britain in deciding to expel Russian diplomats following a European Council decision last week to react to Moscow within a common framework.

"Additional measures including further expulsions are not to be excluded in the coming days and weeks," EU President Donald Tusk said.

Britain: Already kicked out 23 Russian diplomats, with Moscow retaliating with a tit-for-tat move.

Belgium: One diplomat

Croatia: One diplomat

Czech Republic: Three diplomats

Denmark: Two diplomats

Estonia: One diplomat

France: Four diplomats&nbsp

Finland: One diplomat

Germany: Four diplomats

Hungary: One diplomat

Ireland: One diplomat

Italy: Two diplomats

Latvia: One diplomat

Lithuania: Three diplomats

Netherlands: Two diplomats

Poland: Four diplomats

Romania: One diplomat

Spain: Two diplomats

Sweden: One diplomat

Outside EU

Albania: Two diplomats

Macedonia: One diplomat

Moldova: three diplomats

Norway: One diplomat

Ukraine: 13 diplomats

President Petro Poroshenko called for even more action to be taken.

"The next step is to increase the price that Moscow has to pay for its international crimes, including the strengthening of personal, financial and economic sanctions," he said.

Additionally, EU members Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Portugal and Slovakia have recalled their ambassadors for consultations but my Wednesday had yet to expel any Russians

The United States, EU members, NATO and other nations across three continents have announced the expulsion of over 150 Russian diplomats in a coordinated action against Moscow which they accuse of poisoning an ex-spy in Britain

The United States, EU members, NATO and other nations across three continents have announced the expulsion of over 150 Russian diplomats in a coordinated action against Moscow which they accuse of poisoning an ex-spy in Britain. Here is a list updated to Wednesday of the countries involved and the number of Russians already expelled or put on notice to leave. US, Canada, Australia The United States: Expelled 60 alleged "spies" posted around the country and at the Russian mission to the United Nations. It also closed the Russian consulate in Seattle over alleged spying at the nearby Kitsap submarine base and Boeing. The retaliation against Moscow was taken "in response to Russia's use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. Canada: Ousted four diplomats, calling the nerve agent attack "a despicable, heinous and reckless act". Australia: Followed suit with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying two Russian diplomats had seven days to leave. NATO NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was expelling seven Russian diplomats and denying accreditation to three more. "This will send a clear message to Russia that there are costs and consequences for their unacceptable pattern of behaviour," Stoltenberg said. European Union Eighteen EU nations have joined Britain in deciding to expel Russian diplomats following a European Council decision last week to react to Moscow within a common framework. "Additional measures including further expulsions are not to be excluded in the coming days and weeks," EU President Donald Tusk said. Britain: Already kicked out 23 Russian diplomats, with Moscow retaliating with a tit-for-tat move. Belgium: One diplomat Croatia: One diplomat Czech Republic: Three diplomats Denmark: Two diplomats Estonia: One diplomat France: Four diplomats Finland: One diplomat Germany: Four diplomats Hungary: One diplomat Ireland: One diplomat Italy: Two diplomats Latvia: One diplomat Lithuania: Three diplomats Netherlands: Two diplomats Poland: Four diplomats Romania: One diplomat Spain: Two diplomats Sweden: One diplomat Outside EU Albania: Two diplomats Macedonia: One diplomat Moldova: three diplomats Norway: One diplomat Ukraine: 13 diplomats President Petro Poroshenko called for even more action to be taken. "The next step is to increase the price that Moscow has to pay for its international crimes, including the strengthening of personal, financial and economic sanctions," he said. Additionally, EU members Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Portugal and Slovakia have recalled their ambassadors for consultations but my Wednesday had yet to expel any Russians

United States, EU, NATO and other countries announces expulsion of over 150 Russian diplomats

Vladimir Putin has been declared the victor in the presidential election and is set for another six years in the Kremlin till 2024.&nbsp

President Putin said on Monday he aims to focus his new term on "domestic policy issues"&nbspand strengthening the country's "defence capabilities".

Putin made the comments while meeting the co-chairs of his election campaign headquarters in Moscow.

"The main thing that we are going to do is of course, first of all the internal agenda, it is first of all ensuring the growth of the Russian Federation economy, and making it innovative, this is development in the sphere of healthcare, education, industrial output and as I've said before of infrastructure and other areas crucial for moving the country forward and lifting the standard of living for our citizens. This is what we will pay attention to first and foremost to," Putin said during the meeting.&nbsp

"There are issues related to ensuring the defence and security capabilities of the country, we cannot do without it but nevertheless the most important thing for us is the internal agenda and I repeat again, I really count on your support and that of our extended team and large team when it comes to addressing the issues the country is facing and which we must solve and which we will surely solve together," he said.&nbsp

President Vladimir Putin added&nbspthat Russia would cut its military spending, a day after he won a presidential election with a landslide.&nbsp

"We have plans to decrease our defence spending both this year and next. But this will not lead to any decline in the country's defence capacity," he said during a meeting with other candidates.

"We will not allow for any sort of arms race," he said. Putin appeared to set the course for exactly that when he unveiled a new generation of "invincible" nuclear weapons during a state of the nation address earlier this month.

He presented Russia's military efforts as a response to recent actions by the United States, which last month unveiled plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons.

The announcement came as relations between the global powers plummeted to levels not seen since the Cold War over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016.

Putin said that Russia wanted constructive dialogue with its international partners, though he said they would need to reciprocate, and respect Russia.

On Sunday, he declared victory in front of thousands of people gathered in below-freezing temperatures at Moscow's Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, where he called for unity in the country.

"We are a single team, I am a member of this team, and all those who cast their ballots today are members of our large national team," he said, after a colorful show of high-energy musical performances.

"I see this as a sign of trust and hope, the hope of our people that we will work as hard, with the same responsibility and effectiveness as before. Thank you for being such a powerful, millions-strong team. We will definitely succeed."

Under current Russian law, Putin cannot stand for re-election. But he has not groomed a successor, prompting speculation he may try to find ways to extend his power beyond this term.

Meanwhile, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that China-Russia ties will see "new fruits"&nbspand opportunities.

"It is a critical time for both&nbspChina&nbspand Russian for development and rejuvenation," she said.&nbsp

Hua said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Putin, adding that the&nbspChina-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is at the best historical phase.

In his next six years, Putin is likely to assert Russia's power overseas with full force, reports said.

Just weeks ago, he announced that Russia has developed advanced nuclear weapons capable of evading missile defenses. The Russian military campaign that bolsters the Syrian government is clearly aimed at strengthening Moscow's foothold in the Middle East, and Russia eagerly eyes any reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula as an economic opportunity.

Putin must now decide on how to groom a successor or devise a strategy to circumvent term limits, how to expand and grow the economy which&nbspstill dependent on oil and gas, and how to improve medical care and social services in regions far removed from the urban areas of Moscow.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

On Sunday, he declared victory in front of thousands of people gathered in below-freezing temperatures at Moscow's Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, where he called for unity in the country

Vladimir Putin has been declared the victor in the presidential election and is set for another six years in the Kremlin till 2024. President Putin said on Monday he aims to focus his new term on "domestic policy issues"&nbspand strengthening the country's "defence capabilities". Putin made the comments while meeting the co-chairs of his election campaign headquarters in Moscow. "The main thing that we are going to do is of course, first of all the internal agenda, it is first of all ensuring the growth of the Russian Federation economy, and making it innovative, this is development in the sphere of healthcare, education, industrial output and as I've said before of infrastructure and other areas crucial for moving the country forward and lifting the standard of living for our citizens. This is what we will pay attention to first and foremost to," Putin said during the meeting. "There are issues related to ensuring the defence and security capabilities of the country, we cannot do without it but nevertheless the most important thing for us is the internal agenda and I repeat again, I really count on your support and that of our extended team and large team when it comes to addressing the issues the country is facing and which we must solve and which we will surely solve together," he said. President Vladimir Putin added&nbspthat Russia would cut its military spending, a day after he won a presidential election with a landslide. "We have plans to decrease our defence spending both this year and next. But this will not lead to any decline in the country's defence capacity," he said during a meeting with other candidates. "We will not allow for any sort of arms race," he said. Putin appeared to set the course for exactly that when he unveiled a new generation of "invincible" nuclear weapons during a state of the nation address earlier this month. He presented Russia's military efforts as a response to recent actions by the United States, which last month unveiled plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons. The announcement came as relations between the global powers plummeted to levels not seen since the Cold War over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016. Putin said that Russia wanted constructive dialogue with its international partners, though he said they would need to reciprocate, and respect Russia. On Sunday, he declared victory in front of thousands of people gathered in below-freezing temperatures at Moscow's Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, where he called for unity in the country. "We are a single team, I am a member of this team, and all those who cast their ballots today are members of our large national team," he said, after a colorful show of high-energy musical performances. "I see this as a sign of trust and hope, the hope of our people that we will work as hard, with the same responsibility and effectiveness as before. Thank you for being such a powerful, millions-strong team. We will definitely succeed." Under current Russian law, Putin cannot stand for re-election. But he has not groomed a successor, prompting speculation he may try to find ways to extend his power beyond this term. Meanwhile, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that China-Russia ties will see "new fruits"&nbspand opportunities. "It is a critical time for both&nbspChina&nbspand Russian for development and rejuvenation," she said. Hua said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Putin, adding that the&nbspChina-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is at the best historical phase. In his next six years, Putin is likely to assert Russia's power overseas with full force, reports said. Just weeks ago, he announced that Russia has developed advanced nuclear weapons capable of evading missile defenses. The Russian military campaign that bolsters the Syrian government is clearly aimed at strengthening Moscow's foothold in the Middle East, and Russia eagerly eyes any reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula as an economic opportunity. Putin must now decide on how to groom a successor or devise a strategy to circumvent term limits, how to expand and grow the economy which&nbspstill dependent on oil and gas, and how to improve medical care and social services in regions far removed from the urban areas of Moscow. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Putin's focus to be on domestic policy & strengthening Russia's defence

As president Putin was re-elected after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russia-will-remain-difficult-partner-after-putin-re-election-germany-36364">winning the polls by a landslide</a>, the European Union(EU) said Russia should&nbsp;investigate the &quot;violations and shortcomings&quot;.

EU&#39;s latest <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/putins-focus-domestic-policy-issues-strengthening-russias-defence-36404">salvo on Russia came even as </a>France and Germany reached out to the Russian leader after he won the polls handsomely.

&quot;We expect Russia to address the violations and shortcomings reported by the OSCE/ODIHR EOM (observers), as they run against Russia&#39;s OSCE commitments and other international obligations,&quot; the EU said in a statement.

However, the principal members of EU - France and Germany - sent out congratulatory messages to Putin with President Macron wishing Putin on his success and his efforts to &quot;modernise&quot; Russia.

Macron though urged Russia to address the &quot;unacceptable&quot; assassination attempt on ex-spy in Britain.

&quot;The president offered Russia and the Russian people, in the name of France, his wishes for success in the political, democratic, economic and social modernisation of the country,&quot; a statement from Macron&#39;s office said.

&quot;He stressed his commitment to a constructive dialogue between Russia, France and Europe,&quot; the statement added.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel&#39;s spokesman said the German leader will congratulate Putin, but the message will also raise &quot;challenges&quot; in their relations.

&quot;Nevertheless, the continuous contact with Russia&#39;s leadership is very important to us,&quot; the spokesman added.

German foreign minister Heiko Maast was more direct asserting that Russia will remain a &quot;difficult partner&quot;, adding, &quot;It was &quot;unacceptable&quot; that the election also took place in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine four years ago in breach of international law.&quot;

 
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7JuQPj8Q-4U" width="560"></iframe> 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

EU's latest salvo on Russia came even as France and Germany reached out to the Russian leader

As president Putin was re-elected after winning the polls by a landslide, the European Union(EU) said Russia should investigate the "violations and shortcomings". EU's latest salvo on Russia came even as France and Germany reached out to the Russian leader after he won the polls handsomely. "We expect Russia to address the violations and shortcomings reported by the OSCE/ODIHR EOM (observers), as they run against Russia's OSCE commitments and other international obligations," the EU said in a statement. However, the principal members of EU - France and Germany - sent out congratulatory messages to Putin with President Macron wishing Putin on his success and his efforts to "modernise" Russia. Macron though urged Russia to address the "unacceptable" assassination attempt on ex-spy in Britain. "The president offered Russia and the Russian people, in the name of France, his wishes for success in the political, democratic, economic and social modernisation of the country," a statement from Macron's office said. "He stressed his commitment to a constructive dialogue between Russia, France and Europe," the statement added. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said the German leader will congratulate Putin, but the message will also raise "challenges" in their relations. "Nevertheless, the continuous contact with Russia's leadership is very important to us," the spokesman added. German foreign minister Heiko Maast was more direct asserting that Russia will remain a "difficult partner", adding, "It was "unacceptable" that the election also took place in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine four years ago in breach of international law."

Russia should address 'violations' in presidential polls: European Union

Vladimir Putin has been declared the victor in the presidential election and is set for another six years in the Kremlin till 2024.&nbsp;

President Putin said on Monday he aims to focus his new term on &quot;domestic policy issues&quot;&nbsp;and strengthening the country&#39;s &quot;defence capabilities&quot;.

Putin made the comments while meeting the co-chairs of his election campaign headquarters in Moscow.

&quot;The main thing that we are going to do is of course, first of all the internal agenda, it is first of all ensuring the growth of the Russian Federation economy, and making it innovative, this is development in the sphere of healthcare, education, industrial output and as I&#39;ve said before of infrastructure and other areas crucial for moving the country forward and lifting the standard of living for our citizens. This is what we will pay attention to first and foremost to,&quot; Putin said during the meeting.&nbsp;

&quot;There are issues related to ensuring the defence and security capabilities of the country, we cannot do without it but nevertheless the most important thing for us is the internal agenda and I repeat again, I really count on your support and that of our extended team and large team when it comes to addressing the issues the country is facing and which we must solve and which we will surely solve together,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

President Vladimir Putin added&nbsp;that Russia would cut its military spending, a day after he won a presidential election with a landslide.&nbsp;

&quot;We have plans to decrease our defence spending both this year and next. But this will not lead to any decline in the country&#39;s defence capacity,&quot; he said during a meeting with other candidates.

&quot;We will not allow for any sort of arms race,&quot; he said. Putin appeared to set the course for exactly that when he unveiled a new generation of &quot;invincible&quot; nuclear weapons during a state of the nation address earlier this month.

He presented Russia&#39;s military efforts as a response to recent actions by the United States, which last month unveiled plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons.

The announcement came as relations between the global powers plummeted to levels not seen since the Cold War over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016.

Putin said that Russia wanted constructive dialogue with its international partners, though he said they would need to reciprocate, and respect Russia.

On Sunday, he declared victory in front of thousands of people gathered in below-freezing temperatures at Moscow&#39;s Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, where he called for unity in the country.

&quot;We are a single team, I am a member of this team, and all those who cast their ballots today are members of our large national team,&quot; he said, after a colorful show of high-energy musical performances.

&quot;I see this as a sign of trust and hope, the hope of our people that we will work as hard, with the same responsibility and effectiveness as before. Thank you for being such a powerful, millions-strong team. We will definitely succeed.&quot;

Under current Russian law, Putin cannot stand for re-election. But he has not groomed a successor, prompting speculation he may try to find ways to extend his power beyond this term.

Meanwhile, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that China-Russia ties will see &quot;new fruits&quot;&nbsp;and opportunities.

&quot;It is a critical time for both&nbsp;China&nbsp;and Russian for development and rejuvenation,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

Hua said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Putin, adding that the&nbsp;China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is at the best historical phase.

In his next six years, Putin is likely to assert Russia&#39;s power overseas with full force, reports said.

Just weeks ago, he announced that Russia has developed advanced nuclear weapons capable of evading missile defenses. The Russian military campaign that bolsters the Syrian government is clearly aimed at strengthening Moscow&#39;s foothold in the Middle East, and Russia eagerly eyes any reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula as an economic opportunity.

Putin must now decide on how to groom a successor or devise a strategy to circumvent term limits, how to expand and grow the economy which&nbsp;still dependent on oil and gas, and how to improve medical care and social services in regions far removed from the urban areas of Moscow. 
&nbsp;

Vladimir Putin has been declared the victor in the presidential election and is set for another six years in the Kremlin till 2024. President Putin said on Monday he aims to focus his new term on "domestic policy issues" and strengthening the country's "defence capabilities". Putin made the comments while meeting the co-chairs of his election campaign headquarters in Moscow. "The main thing that we are going to do is of course, first of all the internal agenda, it is first of all ensuring the growth of the Russian Federation economy, and making it innovative, this is development in the sphere of healthcare, education, industrial output and as I've said before of infrastructure and other areas crucial for moving the country forward and lifting the standard of living for our citizens. This is what we will pay attention to first and foremost to," Putin said during the meeting. "There are issues related to ensuring the defence and security capabilities of the country, we cannot do without it but nevertheless the most important thing for us is the internal agenda and I repeat again, I really count on your support and that of our extended team and large team when it comes to addressing the issues the country is facing and which we must solve and which we will surely solve together," he said. President Vladimir Putin added that Russia would cut its military spending, a day after he won a presidential election with a landslide. "We have plans to decrease our defence spending both this year and next. But this will not lead to any decline in the country's defence capacity," he said during a meeting with other candidates. "We will not allow for any sort of arms race," he said. Putin appeared to set the course for exactly that when he unveiled a new generation of "invincible" nuclear weapons during a state of the nation address earlier this month. He presented Russia's military efforts as a response to recent actions by the United States, which last month unveiled plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons. The announcement came as relations between the global powers plummeted to levels not seen since the Cold War over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016. Putin said that Russia wanted constructive dialogue with its international partners, though he said they would need to reciprocate, and respect Russia. On Sunday, he declared victory in front of thousands of people gathered in below-freezing temperatures at Moscow's Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, where he called for unity in the country. "We are a single team, I am a member of this team, and all those who cast their ballots today are members of our large national team," he said, after a colorful show of high-energy musical performances. "I see this as a sign of trust and hope, the hope of our people that we will work as hard, with the same responsibility and effectiveness as before. Thank you for being such a powerful, millions-strong team. We will definitely succeed." Under current Russian law, Putin cannot stand for re-election. But he has not groomed a successor, prompting speculation he may try to find ways to extend his power beyond this term. Meanwhile, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that China-Russia ties will see "new fruits" and opportunities. "It is a critical time for both China and Russian for development and rejuvenation," she said. Hua said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Putin, adding that the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is at the best historical phase. In his next six years, Putin is likely to assert Russia's power overseas with full force, reports said. Just weeks ago, he announced that Russia has developed advanced nuclear weapons capable of evading missile defenses. The Russian military campaign that bolsters the Syrian government is clearly aimed at strengthening Moscow's foothold in the Middle East, and Russia eagerly eyes any reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula as an economic opportunity. Putin must now decide on how to groom a successor or devise a strategy to circumvent term limits, how to expand and grow the economy which still dependent on oil and gas, and how to improve medical care and social services in regions far removed from the urban areas of Moscow.

International chemical weapons experts were due to arrive in Britain Monday to collect samples of a nerve agent used to poison a former Russian spy as London accused Moscow of stockpiling the toxin used in the attack.

The poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury on March 4 has triggered a crisis with Britain and Russia expelling diplomats in tit-for-tat measures.

London and its allies have blamed Moscow for the attack which left the Skripals in critical condition after exposure to a nerve agent.

Technical experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will visit Britain on Monday to collect samples of the toxin, which London says is a Soviet-designed military grade nerve agent called Novichok.

&quot;These will then be despatched to highly-reputable international laboratories selected by the OPCW for testing with results expected to take a minimum of two weeks,&quot; Britain&#39;s Foreign Office said in a statement.

President Vladimir Putin has rejected allegations Russia was behind the attack.

&quot;It&#39;s complete drivel, rubbish, nonsense that somebody in Russia would allow themselves to do such a thing ahead of elections and the World Cup,&quot; Putin told supporters Sunday after winning a fourth term as president.

&quot;We have destroyed all chemical weapons,&quot; he said, adding that Russia was ready to take part in the investigation.

Putin&#39;s comments came after British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson accused Russia of stockpiling the nerve agent used in the attack.

&quot;We actually have evidence within the last 10 years that Russia has not only been investigating the delivery of nerve agents for the purposes of assassination, but has also been creating and stockpiling Novichok,&quot; Johnson told the BBC&#39;s Andrew Marr Show.

&#39;Sarcasm and denial&#39; 
Johnson said Britain would target wealth linked to the Kremlin in response to the poisoning of the former Russian double agent.

&quot;Where people have obtained wealth by corruption and where we can see a link with the Kremlin, with Vladimir Putin, it may be possible to have unexplained wealth orders and other sanctions on those individuals,&quot; he said.

Johnson said the government was considering something similar to the US &quot;Magnitsky Act&quot; which was adopted in 2012 to punish Russian officials accused of human rights violations.

The act imposed a visa ban and froze the assets of Russian officials implicated in the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, a tax fraud whistleblower who died in Russian custody in 2009.

Johnson accused the Russians of &quot;smug sarcasm and denial&quot; in response to the accusations, and said the international community was behind Britain.

Moscow&#39;s &quot;malign, disruptive behaviour&quot; internationally was the reason why allies were &quot;inclined not to give Russia the benefit of the doubt,&quot; he added.

Johnson is expected to brief his EU counterparts on the case at a meeting of foreign ministers and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Monday.

Russia&#39;s ambassador to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, has also insisted Moscow &quot;had nothing to do&quot; with the attack and appeared to suggest that Britain itself may have been the source of the chemical agent.&nbsp;

&quot;When you have a nerve agent, you check it against certain samples you have in your laboratories,&quot; he said Saturday.

&quot;And Porton Down, as we now all know, is the largest military facility in the UK that has been dealing with chemical weapons research -- and it&#39;s actually only eight miles from Salisbury.&quot;

Johnson called the accusation &quot;satirical&quot;, adding it was &quot;not the response of a country that really believes itself it to be innocent.&quot;

London and its allies have blamed Moscow for the attack which left former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yuliya in critical condition after exposure to a nerve agent

International chemical weapons experts were due to arrive in Britain Monday to collect samples of a nerve agent used to poison a former Russian spy as London accused Moscow of stockpiling the toxin used in the attack. The poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury on March 4 has triggered a crisis with Britain and Russia expelling diplomats in tit-for-tat measures. London and its allies have blamed Moscow for the attack which left the Skripals in critical condition after exposure to a nerve agent. Technical experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will visit Britain on Monday to collect samples of the toxin, which London says is a Soviet-designed military grade nerve agent called Novichok. "These will then be despatched to highly-reputable international laboratories selected by the OPCW for testing with results expected to take a minimum of two weeks," Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement. President Vladimir Putin has rejected allegations Russia was behind the attack. "It's complete drivel, rubbish, nonsense that somebody in Russia would allow themselves to do such a thing ahead of elections and the World Cup," Putin told supporters Sunday after winning a fourth term as president. "We have destroyed all chemical weapons," he said, adding that Russia was ready to take part in the investigation. Putin's comments came after British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson accused Russia of stockpiling the nerve agent used in the attack. "We actually have evidence within the last 10 years that Russia has not only been investigating the delivery of nerve agents for the purposes of assassination, but has also been creating and stockpiling Novichok," Johnson told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. 'Sarcasm and denial' Johnson said Britain would target wealth linked to the Kremlin in response to the poisoning of the former Russian double agent. "Where people have obtained wealth by corruption and where we can see a link with the Kremlin, with Vladimir Putin, it may be possible to have unexplained wealth orders and other sanctions on those individuals," he said. Johnson said the government was considering something similar to the US "Magnitsky Act" which was adopted in 2012 to punish Russian officials accused of human rights violations. The act imposed a visa ban and froze the assets of Russian officials implicated in the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, a tax fraud whistleblower who died in Russian custody in 2009. Johnson accused the Russians of "smug sarcasm and denial" in response to the accusations, and said the international community was behind Britain. Moscow's "malign, disruptive behaviour" internationally was the reason why allies were "inclined not to give Russia the benefit of the doubt," he added. Johnson is expected to brief his EU counterparts on the case at a meeting of foreign ministers and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Monday. Russia's ambassador to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, has also insisted Moscow "had nothing to do" with the attack and appeared to suggest that Britain itself may have been the source of the chemical agent. "When you have a nerve agent, you check it against certain samples you have in your laboratories," he said Saturday. "And Porton Down, as we now all know, is the largest military facility in the UK that has been dealing with chemical weapons research -- and it's actually only eight miles from Salisbury." Johnson called the accusation "satirical", adding it was "not the response of a country that really believes itself it to be innocent."

Chemical weapons experts head to Britain in Russia spy case

Moscow vowed Friday to hit back at Britain with its own raft of punitive measures &quot;any minute&quot; after the West blamed Russia directly for a nerve agent attack on a former double agent.

President Vladimir Putin&#39;s spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday said Russia&#39;s sanctions could come &quot;any minute&quot; even though he declined to say whether Moscow would deliver its response before Sunday&#39;s presidential election.

&quot;All the steps will be well thought out,&quot; he told reporters.

In a rare joint statement, the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and the US on Thursday condemned the attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia as an &quot;assault on UK sovereignty&quot;.

Moscow has vehemently denied it had a hand in the poisoning of its former spy in the cathedral city of Salisbury in early March.

Britain&#39;s key allies closed ranks against Putin after British Prime Minister Theresa May announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats and suspended high-level contacts, among other measures.

Russia said earlier this week it would expel British diplomats in response to London&#39;s move as well as adopt other measures that the Kremlin said would &quot;most suit Moscow&#39;s interests.&quot;

&quot;Of course we will,&quot; Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists when asked whether Moscow will respond in kind.&nbsp;

He did not provide further details.

The crisis unravelled in the thick of a presidential election as Putin is expected to win a fourth Kremlin term on Sunday.

The president barely weighed in on the row, just telling a BBC reporter earlier this week: &quot;Sort things out from your side and then we will discuss this with you.&quot;

Russia insists it had no motive to target Skripal with what Britain says was a highly potent Soviet-designed nerve agent called Novichok, the first such attack in Europe since World War II.

Many Russians remain sceptical that the state was involved in an attack on British soil and some analysts didn&#39;t rule out the involvement of common criminals or rogue agents.

The official military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) quoted the former head of Russia&#39;s GRU military intelligence, Fyodor Ladygin, who denied his officers had been involved.

&quot;We don&#39;t care about the fate of a traitor,&quot; said Colonel General Ladygin.

&quot;For an intelligence officer, a traitor dies immediately - he absolutely ceases to exist in memory. For a traitor, oblivion is death.&quot;

The attack on the Skripals revived memories of the fate of Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian dissident who died of Polonium poisoning in a 2006 attack in the UK that London blamed on Moscow.

But the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and the United States said Thursday there was &quot;no plausible alternative explanation&quot; for the use of the Soviet-designed nerve agent.

In a joint statement, they demanded Moscow &quot;address all questions&quot; related to the attack against Skripal, which they said amounted to a &quot;breach of international law&quot;.

Skripal moved to Britain in a 2010 spy swap and had taken his daughter, who was on a visit, out for lunch before they both collapsed on a bench in the street on March 4.

The Daily Telegraph reported late Thursday that intelligence agencies now believe the nerve agent used on the pair was planted in the daughter&#39;s suitcase before she left Moscow.

May warned more measures could follow, noting that the US-led NATO alliance and the UN Security Council had discussed the attack, while it was also expected to be on the agenda of the European Union summit next week.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday the alliance did not want a return to Cold War hostilities with Russia while expressing support for Britain&#39;s stance.

He said the targeting of Skripal fit a &quot;pattern of reckless behaviour&quot; to which the US-led military alliance had responded, but insisted political dialogue must also continue.

&quot;We don&#39;t want a new Cold War, we don&#39;t want a new arms race, Russia is our neighbour, therefore, we have to continue to strive for an improved better relationship with Russia,&quot; he told BBC radio.

NATO chief Stoltenberg said this week the attack must have &quot;consequences&quot; but noted that Britain had not invoked the alliance&#39;s Article 5 mutual defence clause. 
&nbsp;

"All the steps will be well thought out," said Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov

Moscow vowed Friday to hit back at Britain with its own raft of punitive measures "any minute" after the West blamed Russia directly for a nerve agent attack on a former double agent. President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday said Russia's sanctions could come "any minute" even though he declined to say whether Moscow would deliver its response before Sunday's presidential election. "All the steps will be well thought out," he told reporters. In a rare joint statement, the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and the US on Thursday condemned the attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia as an "assault on UK sovereignty". Moscow has vehemently denied it had a hand in the poisoning of its former spy in the cathedral city of Salisbury in early March. Britain's key allies closed ranks against Putin after British Prime Minister Theresa May announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats and suspended high-level contacts, among other measures. Russia said earlier this week it would expel British diplomats in response to London's move as well as adopt other measures that the Kremlin said would "most suit Moscow's interests." "Of course we will," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists when asked whether Moscow will respond in kind. He did not provide further details. The crisis unravelled in the thick of a presidential election as Putin is expected to win a fourth Kremlin term on Sunday. The president barely weighed in on the row, just telling a BBC reporter earlier this week: "Sort things out from your side and then we will discuss this with you." Russia insists it had no motive to target Skripal with what Britain says was a highly potent Soviet-designed nerve agent called Novichok, the first such attack in Europe since World War II. Many Russians remain sceptical that the state was involved in an attack on British soil and some analysts didn't rule out the involvement of common criminals or rogue agents. The official military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) quoted the former head of Russia's GRU military intelligence, Fyodor Ladygin, who denied his officers had been involved. "We don't care about the fate of a traitor," said Colonel General Ladygin. "For an intelligence officer, a traitor dies immediately - he absolutely ceases to exist in memory. For a traitor, oblivion is death." The attack on the Skripals revived memories of the fate of Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian dissident who died of Polonium poisoning in a 2006 attack in the UK that London blamed on Moscow. But the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and the United States said Thursday there was "no plausible alternative explanation" for the use of the Soviet-designed nerve agent. In a joint statement, they demanded Moscow "address all questions" related to the attack against Skripal, which they said amounted to a "breach of international law". Skripal moved to Britain in a 2010 spy swap and had taken his daughter, who was on a visit, out for lunch before they both collapsed on a bench in the street on March 4. The Daily Telegraph reported late Thursday that intelligence agencies now believe the nerve agent used on the pair was planted in the daughter's suitcase before she left Moscow. May warned more measures could follow, noting that the US-led NATO alliance and the UN Security Council had discussed the attack, while it was also expected to be on the agenda of the European Union summit next week. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday the alliance did not want a return to Cold War hostilities with Russia while expressing support for Britain's stance. He said the targeting of Skripal fit a "pattern of reckless behaviour" to which the US-led military alliance had responded, but insisted political dialogue must also continue. "We don't want a new Cold War, we don't want a new arms race, Russia is our neighbour, therefore, we have to continue to strive for an improved better relationship with Russia," he told BBC radio. NATO chief Stoltenberg said this week the attack must have "consequences" but noted that Britain had not invoked the alliance's Article 5 mutual defence clause.

Russia vows to respond to Britain over spy attack 'any minute'

Moscow said on Thursday that it was committed to helping Syria&#39;s regime &quot;finish off&quot; rebels in Eastern Ghouta, confirming its military is playing a role in the assault on the rebel enclave.&nbsp;

Russia has provided few details of its involvement in the offensive on Ghouta but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday left no doubt Moscow&#39;s forces were taking an active part.&nbsp;

&quot;We will continue fighting terrorists, we will finish them off, we will help finish them off in Eastern Ghouta, where the Syrian army is now conducting operations with our support,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Since President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria late last year, the military has released little information about its involvement.&nbsp;

Moscow has been overseeing efforts to evacuate civilians out of the Eastern Ghouta enclave near Damascus through a humanitarian corridor.

It has labelled rebel groups from that area &quot;terrorists&quot; who are not protected under the current ceasefire.

Eastern Ghouta has been the target of a blistering government assault for the past month, causing a humanitarian emergency. The offensive, backed by bombing, has split the enclave into three sections.

The Syrian Observatory monitor has blamed both Damascus and Moscow for massive civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta, though Russia has never admitted to participating in the bombing.

'We will continue fighting terrorists, we will finish them off, we will help finish them off in Eastern Ghouta, where the Syrian army is now conducting operations with our support,' Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said

Moscow said on Thursday that it was committed to helping Syria's regime "finish off" rebels in Eastern Ghouta, confirming its military is playing a role in the assault on the rebel enclave. Russia has provided few details of its involvement in the offensive on Ghouta but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday left no doubt Moscow's forces were taking an active part. "We will continue fighting terrorists, we will finish them off, we will help finish them off in Eastern Ghouta, where the Syrian army is now conducting operations with our support," he said. Since President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria late last year, the military has released little information about its involvement. Moscow has been overseeing efforts to evacuate civilians out of the Eastern Ghouta enclave near Damascus through a humanitarian corridor. It has labelled rebel groups from that area "terrorists" who are not protected under the current ceasefire. Eastern Ghouta has been the target of a blistering government assault for the past month, causing a humanitarian emergency. The offensive, backed by bombing, has split the enclave into three sections. The Syrian Observatory monitor has blamed both Damascus and Moscow for massive civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta, though Russia has never admitted to participating in the bombing.

Moscow confirms role in Eastern Ghouta offensive

Moscow on Wednesday called Britain&#39;s decision to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/britains-may-says-russia-responsible-for-attack-on-ex-spy-in-uk-35826" target="_blank">expel 23 Russian diplomats</a> over the poisoning of an ex-spy a sign that London was choosing confrontation with Russia, adding that retaliation would follow shortly.

&quot;The British government made a choice for confrontation with Russia,&quot; the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.&nbsp;

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday expelled the diplomats and suspended high-level contacts with Russia after Moscow did not respond to her demand for an explanation on how a Soviet-designed nerve agent came to be used to attack former spy Sergei Skripal on British soil.

May said there was &quot;no alternative conclusion other than that the Russian state was culpable&quot; for the attack on Skripal and his daughter, who fell ill from exposure to a substance called Novichok in the city of Salisbury on March 4 and are currently in hospital.

The Russian ministry said May&#39;s statement was an &quot;unprecedentedly rude provocation which undermines the foundations of normal bilateral dialogue between our countries.&quot;

It accused London of pursuing a political agenda and choosing to &quot;aggravate relations,&quot; calling the announced measures &quot;hostile&quot;.

May also confirmed that neither members of the royal family nor ministers would attend the football World Cup in Russia this year.

&quot;Our response measures will not be tardy,&quot; the Russian foreign ministry said.

'The British government made a choice for confrontation with Russia,' the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement

Moscow on Wednesday called Britain's decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy a sign that London was choosing confrontation with Russia, adding that retaliation would follow shortly. "The British government made a choice for confrontation with Russia," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday expelled the diplomats and suspended high-level contacts with Russia after Moscow did not respond to her demand for an explanation on how a Soviet-designed nerve agent came to be used to attack former spy Sergei Skripal on British soil. May said there was "no alternative conclusion other than that the Russian state was culpable" for the attack on Skripal and his daughter, who fell ill from exposure to a substance called Novichok in the city of Salisbury on March 4 and are currently in hospital. The Russian ministry said May's statement was an "unprecedentedly rude provocation which undermines the foundations of normal bilateral dialogue between our countries." It accused London of pursuing a political agenda and choosing to "aggravate relations," calling the announced measures "hostile". May also confirmed that neither members of the royal family nor ministers would attend the football World Cup in Russia this year. "Our response measures will not be tardy," the Russian foreign ministry said.

Moscow says will retaliate soon to Britain's expulsion of diplomats

Britain will hold new emergency talks today into the brazen nerve agent poisoning of a Russian former double agent on its soil, after the US and NATO backed London in implicating Moscow in the assassination attempt.

As diplomatic tensions soar, Russia has denied accusations of its involvement in the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter in southwest England on March 4.

British Prime Minister Theresa May told parliament it was &quot;highly likely&quot; Moscow was behind the poisoning, giving Russia until the end of Tuesday to answer the accusations, in comments that have stoked speculation Britain could call on its allies to mount a joint response.

Both the United States and NATO issued statements in support of London, as concern mounts over the use of what May described as a military-grade nerve agent developed by Russia.

Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remain in a critical condition in hospital after being found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping centre in Salisbury.

Emergency workers in biohazard suits have been deployed in the normally sleepy city, while some 500 people who may have come into minimal contact with the nerve agent were urged to wash clothes and belongings as a precaution.

May told British lawmakers that Moscow had previously used the group of nerve agents, known as Novichok, had a history of state-sponsored assassinations and viewed defectors such as Skripal as legitimate targets. 
&quot;The government has concluded that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act against Sergei and Yulia Skripal,&quot; she said.

The prime minister added Britain had given Moscow until the end of Tuesday to disclose details of its development of the Novichok nerve agents programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

If there was &quot;no credible response&quot; it will conclude it was &quot;an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the UK&quot;, she warned, and pledged to outline a &quot;full range of measures&quot; in response on Wednesday.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Tuesday that Britain was consulting allies in NATO about possibly invoking its Article 5 principle of common defence.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the incident was &quot;of great concern&quot; to the alliance.

&quot;NATO is in touch with the UK authorities on this issue,&quot; he added in a statement issued by his office Monday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin brushed aside questions about Moscow&#39;s involvement in the attack in Britain, telling the BBC: &quot;First get to the bottom of it there and then we will discuss this.&quot;

Yesterday, Moscow rejected May&#39;s assertions, saying it was &quot;a circus show&quot; and an attempt to undermine trust ahead of its hosting of this summer&#39;s football World Cup.

The prime minister&#39;s statement was part of &quot;another information and political campaign based on provocation,&quot; said Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in comments carried by news agencies.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron &quot;offered his solidarity with the UK&quot; in a phone call with May.

&quot;They discussed the wide pattern of aggressive Russian behaviour and agreed that it would be important to continue to act in concert with allies to address it,&quot; Downing Street said.

Britain&#39;s home secretary Amber Rudd will chair a meeting of the government&#39;s emergency Cobra committee at 11:30 am (local time) today for an update on the investigation, the Home Office said.

Skripal, an ex-military intelligence officer who was jailed for selling Russian secrets to London, moved to Britain in a spy swap in 2010, settling in Salisbury.

Police are investigating the attack against him with the assistance of Britain&#39;s armed forces and its military research laboratory at Porton Down.

Pharmacology experts said Novichok, a broad category of more than 100 nerve agents developed by Russia during the late stages of the Cold War, was &quot;more dangerous and sophisticated&quot; than sarin or VX.

&quot;It causes a slowing of the heart and restriction of the airways, leading to death by asphyxiation,&quot; said Gary Stephens, a professor at Britain&#39;s University of Reading.

Britain had voiced its concerns about Russia still having such biological weapons during a 2008 meeting in Paris of countries to discuss such threats, according to WikiLeaks cables reposted on Twitter Monday.

The BBC reported that investigators now believe the nerve agent may have been deployed in powder form through the ventilation system of Skripal&#39;s car.

Other reports in the British media hinted at growing pressure on May for England to boycott this summer&#39;s World Cup in Russia.

&quot;How can we go to Putin&#39;s World Cup now&quot; read the headline of the Daily Mail.

US and NATO backed London in implicating Moscow in the assassination attempt

Britain will hold new emergency talks today into the brazen nerve agent poisoning of a Russian former double agent on its soil, after the US and NATO backed London in implicating Moscow in the assassination attempt. As diplomatic tensions soar, Russia has denied accusations of its involvement in the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter in southwest England on March 4. British Prime Minister Theresa May told parliament it was "highly likely" Moscow was behind the poisoning, giving Russia until the end of Tuesday to answer the accusations, in comments that have stoked speculation Britain could call on its allies to mount a joint response. Both the United States and NATO issued statements in support of London, as concern mounts over the use of what May described as a military-grade nerve agent developed by Russia. Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remain in a critical condition in hospital after being found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping centre in Salisbury. Emergency workers in biohazard suits have been deployed in the normally sleepy city, while some 500 people who may have come into minimal contact with the nerve agent were urged to wash clothes and belongings as a precaution. May told British lawmakers that Moscow had previously used the group of nerve agents, known as Novichok, had a history of state-sponsored assassinations and viewed defectors such as Skripal as legitimate targets. "The government has concluded that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act against Sergei and Yulia Skripal," she said. The prime minister added Britain had given Moscow until the end of Tuesday to disclose details of its development of the Novichok nerve agents programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. If there was "no credible response" it will conclude it was "an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the UK", she warned, and pledged to outline a "full range of measures" in response on Wednesday. The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Tuesday that Britain was consulting allies in NATO about possibly invoking its Article 5 principle of common defence. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the incident was "of great concern" to the alliance. "NATO is in touch with the UK authorities on this issue," he added in a statement issued by his office Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin brushed aside questions about Moscow's involvement in the attack in Britain, telling the BBC: "First get to the bottom of it there and then we will discuss this." Yesterday, Moscow rejected May's assertions, saying it was "a circus show" and an attempt to undermine trust ahead of its hosting of this summer's football World Cup. The prime minister's statement was part of "another information and political campaign based on provocation," said Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in comments carried by news agencies. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron "offered his solidarity with the UK" in a phone call with May. "They discussed the wide pattern of aggressive Russian behaviour and agreed that it would be important to continue to act in concert with allies to address it," Downing Street said. Britain's home secretary Amber Rudd will chair a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee at 11:30 am (local time) today for an update on the investigation, the Home Office said. Skripal, an ex-military intelligence officer who was jailed for selling Russian secrets to London, moved to Britain in a spy swap in 2010, settling in Salisbury. Police are investigating the attack against him with the assistance of Britain's armed forces and its military research laboratory at Porton Down. Pharmacology experts said Novichok, a broad category of more than 100 nerve agents developed by Russia during the late stages of the Cold War, was "more dangerous and sophisticated" than sarin or VX. "It causes a slowing of the heart and restriction of the airways, leading to death by asphyxiation," said Gary Stephens, a professor at Britain's University of Reading. Britain had voiced its concerns about Russia still having such biological weapons during a 2008 meeting in Paris of countries to discuss such threats, according to WikiLeaks cables reposted on Twitter Monday. The BBC reported that investigators now believe the nerve agent may have been deployed in powder form through the ventilation system of Skripal's car. Other reports in the British media hinted at growing pressure on May for England to boycott this summer's World Cup in Russia. "How can we go to Putin's World Cup now" read the headline of the Daily Mail.

UK, allies point finger at Russia in ex-spy poisoning

Britain will respond appropriately if evidence shows Moscow was behind a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in England, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday.

Former double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, have been in the hospital since they were found unconscious on Sunday on a bench outside a shopping centre in the quiet cathedral city of Salisbury.

&quot;We will do what is appropriate, we will do what is right if it is proved to be the case that this is state-sponsored,&quot; May told when asked whether Britain could expel the Russian ambassador.

&quot;But let`s give the police the time and space to actually conduct their investigation,&quot; she added, in her first comments on the attack since police said on Wednesday a nerve agent was used.&nbsp;

Government experts have identified the substance, which will help identify the source but have not made the information public.

&quot;Of course, if action needs to be taken, then the government will do that. We`ll do that properly, at the right time, and on the basis of the best evidence,&quot; May said.

Both victims remain unconscious, in a critical but stable condition, while police officer Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who was also harmed by the substance, remains in a serious condition.

&quot;He`s well, he`s sat up. He`s not the Nick that I know but of course, he`s receiving a high level of treatment,&quot; said Kier Pritchard, head of Wiltshire Police, after visiting Bailey in a hospital intensive care unit.

&quot;He`s very anxious, he`s very concerned. He did his very best on that night.&quot;

A total of 21 people had been treated in hospital following the incident, Pritchard said.

In parliament, several lawmakers defied interior minister Amber Rudd`s plea to avoid speculation about who was responsible for the &quot;brazen and reckless act&quot;. Some called for investigations to be re-opened into the deaths of Russian exiles in Britain in recent years.&nbsp;

Rudd urged people to keep a cool head and focus on the Salisbury incident.

&quot;This was attempted murder in the most cruel and public way. We will respond in a robust and appropriate manner once we ascertain who was responsible,&quot; Rudd said.&nbsp;

&quot;We are committed to do all we can to bring the perpetrators to justice, whoever they are and wherever they may be.&quot;&nbsp;

Skripal betrayed dozens of Russian agents to British intelligence before his arrest in 2004. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2006, and in 2010 was given refuge in Britain after being exchanged for Russian spies.

The attack has been likened in Britain to the assassination of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who died in London in 2006 after drinking green tea laced with radioactive polonium-210.

A British public inquiry said Litvinenko`s murder had probably been approved by Putin and carried out by two Russians, Dmitry Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoy. Lugovoy is an ex-KGB bodyguard who later became a member of parliament.

Both denied responsibility and Russia has refused to extradite them.

Rudd denied that Britain`s response after Litvinenko`s murder had been too soft, effectively sending a message that such crimes could be carried out with impunity.&nbsp;

&quot;We are absolutely robust about any crime committed on these streets in the UK. There is nothing soft about the UK`s response to any sort of state activity in this country,&quot; she told BBC radio.

In Russia, some media took an almost jocular tone.

&quot;Do not choose England as your next country of residence, whether you are a professional traitor to your homeland, or you just hate your country in your free time,&quot; said Kirill Kleimenov, news anchor on Russia`s state-run Channel One, as he introduced an item about the story on the evening news bulletin.

&quot;Something`s not right there, maybe it`s the climate, but in the past few years, there have been a lot of strange occurrences there with a terrible outcome. People hang themselves, fall out of windows, are poisoned, or crash in helicopters in simply industrial quantities.&quot;

We will do what is appropriate, we will do what is right if it is proved to be the case that this is state-sponsored," May told

Britain will respond appropriately if evidence shows Moscow was behind a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in England, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday. Former double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, have been in the hospital since they were found unconscious on Sunday on a bench outside a shopping centre in the quiet cathedral city of Salisbury. "We will do what is appropriate, we will do what is right if it is proved to be the case that this is state-sponsored," May told when asked whether Britain could expel the Russian ambassador. "But let`s give the police the time and space to actually conduct their investigation," she added, in her first comments on the attack since police said on Wednesday a nerve agent was used. Government experts have identified the substance, which will help identify the source but have not made the information public. "Of course, if action needs to be taken, then the government will do that. We`ll do that properly, at the right time, and on the basis of the best evidence," May said. Both victims remain unconscious, in a critical but stable condition, while police officer Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who was also harmed by the substance, remains in a serious condition. "He`s well, he`s sat up. He`s not the Nick that I know but of course, he`s receiving a high level of treatment," said Kier Pritchard, head of Wiltshire Police, after visiting Bailey in a hospital intensive care unit. "He`s very anxious, he`s very concerned. He did his very best on that night." A total of 21 people had been treated in hospital following the incident, Pritchard said. In parliament, several lawmakers defied interior minister Amber Rudd`s plea to avoid speculation about who was responsible for the "brazen and reckless act". Some called for investigations to be re-opened into the deaths of Russian exiles in Britain in recent years. Rudd urged people to keep a cool head and focus on the Salisbury incident. "This was attempted murder in the most cruel and public way. We will respond in a robust and appropriate manner once we ascertain who was responsible," Rudd said. "We are committed to do all we can to bring the perpetrators to justice, whoever they are and wherever they may be." Skripal betrayed dozens of Russian agents to British intelligence before his arrest in 2004. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2006, and in 2010 was given refuge in Britain after being exchanged for Russian spies. The attack has been likened in Britain to the assassination of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who died in London in 2006 after drinking green tea laced with radioactive polonium-210. A British public inquiry said Litvinenko`s murder had probably been approved by Putin and carried out by two Russians, Dmitry Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoy. Lugovoy is an ex-KGB bodyguard who later became a member of parliament. Both denied responsibility and Russia has refused to extradite them. Rudd denied that Britain`s response after Litvinenko`s murder had been too soft, effectively sending a message that such crimes could be carried out with impunity. "We are absolutely robust about any crime committed on these streets in the UK. There is nothing soft about the UK`s response to any sort of state activity in this country," she told BBC radio. In Russia, some media took an almost jocular tone. "Do not choose England as your next country of residence, whether you are a professional traitor to your homeland, or you just hate your country in your free time," said Kirill Kleimenov, news anchor on Russia`s state-run Channel One, as he introduced an item about the story on the evening news bulletin. "Something`s not right there, maybe it`s the climate, but in the past few years, there have been a lot of strange occurrences there with a terrible outcome. People hang themselves, fall out of windows, are poisoned, or crash in helicopters in simply industrial quantities."

Britain will respond if Russia is proved to be behind nerve attack: PM May

The United States on Thursday accused Moscow of openly breaching Cold War-era treaties by developing what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a new generation of &quot;invincible&quot; hypersonic weapons and submarines.

Putin unveiled the new arsenal earlier Thursday in a state of the nation address, challenging Washington to a new arms race ahead of a presidential election that will all but certainly confirm his grip on power.

Putin left his usual Kremlin perch to this year speak from a nearby exhibition centre -- allowing him to show a series of video montages of missiles crossing mountains and oceans, heading over the Atlantic before striking the US eastern seaboard.

He quoted a speech he gave in 2004, vowing that Russia would develop a new generation of weaponry, a promise that he said he has now fulfilled.

&quot;No one really wanted to talk to us basically. No one listened to us then. Listen to us now,&quot; Putin said, prompting a standing ovation from the audience of top officials, lawmakers and celebrities.

He presented Russia&#39;s military efforts as a response to recent actions by the United States, which last month unveiled plans to revamp its own nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons.

&#39;Cheesy&#39; attack video 

The State Department expressed outrage at Putin&#39;s presentation and his &quot;cheesy&quot; animated video of warheads over US soil -- and said the Russian leader had confirmed long-held allegations about his program.

&quot;It was certainly unfortunate to have watched the video animation that depicted a nuclear attack on the United States,&quot; spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters.

&quot;That&#39;s something that we certainly didn&#39;t enjoy watching. We don&#39;t regard that as the behaviour of a responsible international player,&quot; she added.

&quot;President Putin has confirmed what the United States government has known for a long time but that Russia has denied prior to this,&quot; she added.

&quot;Russia has been developing destabilizing weapons systems for more than a decade in direct violation of its treaty obligations.&quot;

Specifically, Nauert said that Moscow had proven itself in violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), through its development of ground-launched cruise missiles.

The Pentagon reacted with more equanimity, with a spokesman insisting that the US military remains &quot;fully prepared&quot; to react to &quot;anything that comes our way.&quot; &nbsp;

The United States has long accused Russia of breaching the INF treaty and, while it is modernizing its own nuclear arsenal, says that it remains in compliance with the terms of the Cold War accord.

The spat came as relations between the powers lie frozen at levels not seen since the Cold War over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016.

Also Thursday, the US formally approved the sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, which is fighting a Russian-backed insurgency in the east of the country.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Ukraine has asked President Donald Trump&#39;s US administration for permission to buy 210 missiles and 37 launchers at a cost of around $47 million

&#39;Fantastic&#39; submarines&nbsp;

In a speech that ran almost two hours, Putin showed tests of a new missile system that he said could fly at 20 times the speed of sound and manoeuvre up and down and is not owned by any other country.&nbsp;

&quot;This makes it absolutely invincible for any forms of air and missile defence,&quot; he boasted, calling it an &quot;ideal weapon.&quot;

Russia has also developed unmanned underwater devices that move much faster than submarines and torpedoes and can carry nuclear warheads, Putin said, adding: &quot;It&#39;s just fantastic!&quot;

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu later said Russian arms would be able to &quot;overcome all existing anti-missile systems&quot; such as those the US intends to deploy in eastern Europe and South Korea.

&quot;This anti-missile &#39;umbrella&#39; turns out to be a bit &#39;leaky&#39;,&quot; he said in comments released by his ministry.

Putin, who has led Russia for almost two decades and is seeking in the March 18 election a historic fourth Kremlin term that would extend his rule to 2024, also laid out a number of domestic measures in the speech.

Putin has refused to take part in TV debates with other candidates, but the address suggested cutting poverty and improving the environment would be among the top goals of his expected new six-year term.

- &#39;Unacceptable&#39; poverty - 
The 65-year-old vowed to cut the country&#39;s &quot;unacceptable&quot; poverty rate in half over six years but said 22 million fewer Russians were now living below the poverty line than when he was first elected president.

Putin, who coughed throughout the speech and was forced to pause to drink, was given an ecstatic reception in the hall during the televised address but some online comments were less complimentary.

&quot;The old man only perked up when he was talking about how he can destroy the world. A moment of truth!&quot; former Kremlin advisor Gleb Pavlovsky said on social media.

Despite Putin&#39;s campaign promises when he returned to the Kremlin in 2012 after four years as prime minister, his last term was marked by a fall in living standards and Russia&#39;s international isolation.

Boosted by a slavish media and foreign military adventures such as the annexation of Crimea in 2014, his approval rating remains sky-high and official polls suggest he will take almost 70 percent of the vote on March 18.

Putin unveiled the new arsenal earlier Thursday in a state of the nation address, challenging Washington to a new arms race ahead of a presidential election that will all but certainly confirm his grip on power.

The United States on Thursday accused Moscow of openly breaching Cold War-era treaties by developing what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a new generation of "invincible" hypersonic weapons and submarines. Putin unveiled the new arsenal earlier Thursday in a state of the nation address, challenging Washington to a new arms race ahead of a presidential election that will all but certainly confirm his grip on power. Putin left his usual Kremlin perch to this year speak from a nearby exhibition centre -- allowing him to show a series of video montages of missiles crossing mountains and oceans, heading over the Atlantic before striking the US eastern seaboard. He quoted a speech he gave in 2004, vowing that Russia would develop a new generation of weaponry, a promise that he said he has now fulfilled. "No one really wanted to talk to us basically. No one listened to us then. Listen to us now," Putin said, prompting a standing ovation from the audience of top officials, lawmakers and celebrities. He presented Russia's military efforts as a response to recent actions by the United States, which last month unveiled plans to revamp its own nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons. 'Cheesy' attack video The State Department expressed outrage at Putin's presentation and his "cheesy" animated video of warheads over US soil -- and said the Russian leader had confirmed long-held allegations about his program. "It was certainly unfortunate to have watched the video animation that depicted a nuclear attack on the United States," spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters. "That's something that we certainly didn't enjoy watching. We don't regard that as the behaviour of a responsible international player," she added. "President Putin has confirmed what the United States government has known for a long time but that Russia has denied prior to this," she added. "Russia has been developing destabilizing weapons systems for more than a decade in direct violation of its treaty obligations." Specifically, Nauert said that Moscow had proven itself in violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), through its development of ground-launched cruise missiles. The Pentagon reacted with more equanimity, with a spokesman insisting that the US military remains "fully prepared" to react to "anything that comes our way." The United States has long accused Russia of breaching the INF treaty and, while it is modernizing its own nuclear arsenal, says that it remains in compliance with the terms of the Cold War accord. The spat came as relations between the powers lie frozen at levels not seen since the Cold War over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016. Also Thursday, the US formally approved the sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, which is fighting a Russian-backed insurgency in the east of the country. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Ukraine has asked President Donald Trump's US administration for permission to buy 210 missiles and 37 launchers at a cost of around $47 million 'Fantastic' submarines In a speech that ran almost two hours, Putin showed tests of a new missile system that he said could fly at 20 times the speed of sound and manoeuvre up and down and is not owned by any other country. "This makes it absolutely invincible for any forms of air and missile defence," he boasted, calling it an "ideal weapon." Russia has also developed unmanned underwater devices that move much faster than submarines and torpedoes and can carry nuclear warheads, Putin said, adding: "It's just fantastic!" Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu later said Russian arms would be able to "overcome all existing anti-missile systems" such as those the US intends to deploy in eastern Europe and South Korea. "This anti-missile 'umbrella' turns out to be a bit 'leaky'," he said in comments released by his ministry. Putin, who has led Russia for almost two decades and is seeking in the March 18 election a historic fourth Kremlin term that would extend his rule to 2024, also laid out a number of domestic measures in the speech. Putin has refused to take part in TV debates with other candidates, but the address suggested cutting poverty and improving the environment would be among the top goals of his expected new six-year term. - 'Unacceptable' poverty - The 65-year-old vowed to cut the country's "unacceptable" poverty rate in half over six years but said 22 million fewer Russians were now living below the poverty line than when he was first elected president. Putin, who coughed throughout the speech and was forced to pause to drink, was given an ecstatic reception in the hall during the televised address but some online comments were less complimentary. "The old man only perked up when he was talking about how he can destroy the world. A moment of truth!" former Kremlin advisor Gleb Pavlovsky said on social media. Despite Putin's campaign promises when he returned to the Kremlin in 2012 after four years as prime minister, his last term was marked by a fall in living standards and Russia's international isolation. Boosted by a slavish media and foreign military adventures such as the annexation of Crimea in 2014, his approval rating remains sky-high and official polls suggest he will take almost 70 percent of the vote on March 18.

US accuses Russia of breaching treaties with 'invincible' weapons

New tensions between Moscow and Kiev flared Thursday after Russia&#39;s Gazprom said it will not restart gas supplies to Ukraine and Naftogaz accusing its counterpart of violating agreements.

The March shipments would have become the first Russian supplies to Ukraine since November 2015 when Kiev ceased purchasing Russian gas in favour of Europe.

Since a popular uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime in Ukraine in 2014, the two gas companies have been locked in a furious legal battle that led them to lodge multi-billion dollar claims against each other in the Stockholm arbitration court.&nbsp;

In December last year, the court lowered the price Russia can claim for its gas, but also required Kiev to buy 5 billion cubic metres of Russian gas annually from 2018.&nbsp;

On Thursday, Gazprom said supplies would not be restarted because an additional agreement to the current contract had not been finalised.

&quot;Obviously, no gas deliveries will be made to Naftogaz Ukraine from March 1,&quot; Gazprom deputy head Alexander Medvedev said in a statement.

He added that the Russian gas giant had returned the prepayment that Naftogaz had made for March supplies.

In response, Naftogaz accused Gazprom of violating its contractual obligations.

&quot;Gazprom&#39;s position surprises us,&quot; Naftogaz chief Andriy Kobolev said in a statement.

&quot;We are buying gas because we are implementing a court decision,&quot; he said, adding that Naftogaz intended to claim damages from the Russian company.

&quot;Gazprom&#39;s announcement gives European partners a new reason to ask if they can trust a partner who can bill you, receive money and refuse to supply gas,&quot; Kobolev said.

The new flare-up in tensions came after the Stockholm arbitration court ordered Gazprom to pay $2.56 billion to Naftogaz for &quot;failure to deliver the agreed transit gas volumes&quot;, the Ukranian company said on Wednesday.

Gazprom covers about one-third of the European continent&#39;s gas needs, a share that has increased in recent years despite the European Union&#39;s intention to reduce its dependence on Russian gas supplies.

After the 2014 popular uprising, Moscow annexed the peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine and supported an anti-Kiev insurgency in the east of the ex-Soviet country.&nbsp;

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting since April 2014.

New tensions between Moscow and Kiev flared Thursday after Russia's Gazprom said it will not restart gas supplies to Ukraine and Naftogaz accusing its counterpart of violating agreements

New tensions between Moscow and Kiev flared Thursday after Russia's Gazprom said it will not restart gas supplies to Ukraine and Naftogaz accusing its counterpart of violating agreements. The March shipments would have become the first Russian supplies to Ukraine since November 2015 when Kiev ceased purchasing Russian gas in favour of Europe. Since a popular uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime in Ukraine in 2014, the two gas companies have been locked in a furious legal battle that led them to lodge multi-billion dollar claims against each other in the Stockholm arbitration court. In December last year, the court lowered the price Russia can claim for its gas, but also required Kiev to buy 5 billion cubic metres of Russian gas annually from 2018. On Thursday, Gazprom said supplies would not be restarted because an additional agreement to the current contract had not been finalised. "Obviously, no gas deliveries will be made to Naftogaz Ukraine from March 1," Gazprom deputy head Alexander Medvedev said in a statement. He added that the Russian gas giant had returned the prepayment that Naftogaz had made for March supplies. In response, Naftogaz accused Gazprom of violating its contractual obligations. "Gazprom's position surprises us," Naftogaz chief Andriy Kobolev said in a statement. "We are buying gas because we are implementing a court decision," he said, adding that Naftogaz intended to claim damages from the Russian company. "Gazprom's announcement gives European partners a new reason to ask if they can trust a partner who can bill you, receive money and refuse to supply gas," Kobolev said. The new flare-up in tensions came after the Stockholm arbitration court ordered Gazprom to pay $2.56 billion to Naftogaz for "failure to deliver the agreed transit gas volumes", the Ukranian company said on Wednesday. Gazprom covers about one-third of the European continent's gas needs, a share that has increased in recent years despite the European Union's intention to reduce its dependence on Russian gas supplies. After the 2014 popular uprising, Moscow annexed the peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine and supported an anti-Kiev insurgency in the east of the ex-Soviet country. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting since April 2014.

Russia's Gazprom refuses to restart gas supplies to Ukraine

Russia is working on developing a long-range unmanned strike system, built by&nbsp;Zvezda, media reports have informed on Tuesday.&nbsp;

Alexander Nemov, deputy chief of the research department at the 30th Central Scientific Research Institute outside Moscow said that the large unnamed aircraft would come out next year which will infiltrate far into an enemy&#39;s territory.&nbsp;

The system will consist of both guided and unguided munitions, media reports stated. Nemov further said that the work is currently underway and the system will be &quot;capable of carrying out unmanned low-altitude supersonic flights and striking both stationary and mobile targets at operational-strategic depth.&quot;

According to Zvezda, the aircraft will not only be capable of performing low-attitude flights but will also fly faster than the speed of sound, thereby providing a massive boost for the Russian military with fundamentally new strategic capabilities, not currently enjoyed by any other military in the world.

The 30th Central Scientific Research Institute&#39;s other projects include plans to create a new strike chopper, combining the capabilities of the Kamov Ka-52 and the Mil Mi-28. The new aircraft will have an extra set of wings and will be capable of flying over 400 km per hour

The institute is also working on unmanned helicopter systems, which will interact with conventional rotary-winged&nbsp;

Alexander Nemov, deputy chief of the research department at the 30th Central Scientific Research Institute outside Moscow said that the large unnamed aircraft would come out next year which will infiltrate far into an enemy's territory

Russia is working on developing a long-range unmanned strike system, built by Zvezda, media reports have informed on Tuesday. Alexander Nemov, deputy chief of the research department at the 30th Central Scientific Research Institute outside Moscow said that the large unnamed aircraft would come out next year which will infiltrate far into an enemy's territory. The system will consist of both guided and unguided munitions, media reports stated. Nemov further said that the work is currently underway and the system will be "capable of carrying out unmanned low-altitude supersonic flights and striking both stationary and mobile targets at operational-strategic depth." According to Zvezda, the aircraft will not only be capable of performing low-attitude flights but will also fly faster than the speed of sound, thereby providing a massive boost for the Russian military with fundamentally new strategic capabilities, not currently enjoyed by any other military in the world. The 30th Central Scientific Research Institute's other projects include plans to create a new strike chopper, combining the capabilities of the Kamov Ka-52 and the Mil Mi-28. The new aircraft will have an extra set of wings and will be capable of flying over 400 km per hour The institute is also working on unmanned helicopter systems, which will interact with conventional rotary-winged

Russia working towards developing long-range unmanned strike system

The White House is weighing additional sanctions against Russia, senior administration officials said Wednesday, pushing back against allegations that Donald Trump has been a soft touch on Moscow. 
 
Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials said a &quot;task force&quot; has been set up to address potential meddling in the 2018 congressional elections and work is underway to introduce sanctions in response to Moscow&#39;s 2016 campaign. 
 
Underscoring one step, one senior administration official said that Washington has already warned governments around the world that they could face sanctions if they carry out &quot;significant transactions&quot; with the Russian military. 
 
That includes NATO ally Turkey, which has publicly announced the purchase of a Russian S-400 air defence missile system. 
 
A second official said that &quot;a couple of big countries&quot; were reconsidering their purchases as a result. 
 
Those type of sanctions were part of a package of measures passed by Congress approved last July, that was opposed by the White House. 
 
Trump&#39;s vocal opposition to the package -- which entered into law earlier this year -- has raised questions about whether the administration is dragging its feet. 
 
Officials admitted no specific sanctions had been introduced yet but said that was because the administration was doing its due diligence, rather than an attempt to slow-walk the process. 
 
The first officer also stressed the need to avoid leaks that could tip off potential sanction targets, allowing them to move money out of bank accounts or take other mitigating steps.

&quot;We are doing an awful lot of work, we are taking this very seriously, it is a national security issue,&quot; the official said, answering criticism. 
 
&quot;I would hope you would just give us a little bit of an indulgence to do some of these things behind the scenes and be able to reveal them when we can.&quot; 
 
 
&quot;We would like to get after these guys and we would like to catch them in the act and not enable them to change course ... so that we have a harder time detecting them.&quot; 
 
One example given was the shuttering of the Russian consulate in San Francisco, which was ordered closed late last year, taking Moscow by surprise. 
 
&quot;The Russians did not see that coming,&quot; said the first official, adding, &quot;which is an absolute bloody miracle frankly&quot; given reporting before a decision was made.

Officials admitted no specific sanctions had been introduced yet but said that was because the administration was doing its due diligence, rather than an attempt to slow-walk the process

The White House is weighing additional sanctions against Russia, senior administration officials said Wednesday, pushing back against allegations that Donald Trump has been a soft touch on Moscow. Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials said a "task force" has been set up to address potential meddling in the 2018 congressional elections and work is underway to introduce sanctions in response to Moscow's 2016 campaign. Underscoring one step, one senior administration official said that Washington has already warned governments around the world that they could face sanctions if they carry out "significant transactions" with the Russian military. That includes NATO ally Turkey, which has publicly announced the purchase of a Russian S-400 air defence missile system. A second official said that "a couple of big countries" were reconsidering their purchases as a result. Those type of sanctions were part of a package of measures passed by Congress approved last July, that was opposed by the White House. Trump's vocal opposition to the package -- which entered into law earlier this year -- has raised questions about whether the administration is dragging its feet. Officials admitted no specific sanctions had been introduced yet but said that was because the administration was doing its due diligence, rather than an attempt to slow-walk the process. The first officer also stressed the need to avoid leaks that could tip off potential sanction targets, allowing them to move money out of bank accounts or take other mitigating steps. "We are doing an awful lot of work, we are taking this very seriously, it is a national security issue," the official said, answering criticism. "I would hope you would just give us a little bit of an indulgence to do some of these things behind the scenes and be able to reveal them when we can." "We would like to get after these guys and we would like to catch them in the act and not enable them to change course ... so that we have a harder time detecting them." One example given was the shuttering of the Russian consulate in San Francisco, which was ordered closed late last year, taking Moscow by surprise. "The Russians did not see that coming," said the first official, adding, "which is an absolute bloody miracle frankly" given reporting before a decision was made.

White House denies being weak on Russia, says more sanctions to come

No evidence is behind the U.S. indictment of Russian nationals for alleged election interference and Moscow has given multiple explanations on what Washington called &quot;Russian meddling efforts&quot;, RIA news agency cited the Russian presidential envoy as saying on Saturday.

The office of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has charged 13 Russians and three Russian companies, including the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, known for its trolling on social media.

Moscow has given multiple explanations on what Washington called Russian meddling efforts

No evidence is behind the U.S. indictment of Russian nationals for alleged election interference and Moscow has given multiple explanations on what Washington called "Russian meddling efforts", RIA news agency cited the Russian presidential envoy as saying on Saturday. The office of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has charged 13 Russians and three Russian companies, including the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, known for its trolling on social media.

Moscow says no evidence behind US indictment of Russians for alleged election meddling

Running with a lacklustre slogan, no programme and refusing to debate his opponents, it sometimes seems like Russian President Vladimir Putin is not campaigning for re-election at all.

But it is unlikely to matter for the 65-year-old strongman who is cruising towards victory and a historic fourth Kremlin term in next month&#39;s election, with a result that seems so inevitable analysts are calling it a return to the Soviet era.

&quot;Putin is the only candidate without a programme. That is extremely alarming,&quot; said Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Moscow Center, describing it as &quot;a demonstration of disregard for his people.&quot;

As always, Putin has bowed out of debates and has symbolically refused his free television airtime as a candidate.

But he already benefits from wall-to-wall news coverage, and Channel One state television has been rebroadcasting Oliver Stone&#39;s four-part documentary about him although it won&#39;t show the last episode until after the vote following a slap on the wrist from the electoral commission.

The most visible sign of his campaign are the images of him plastered on billboards along highways outside Moscow under the slogan: &quot;A strong president makes for a strong country.&quot;

Generic posters from the Central Electoral Commission urging people to vote are everywhere.

Putin&#39;s main task is to ensure a respectable turnout, with state pollsters VTsIOM predicting 80.4 percent although last time, participation was just over 65 percent.

&quot;We have returned to what we had hoped to leave behind after the collapse of Soviet power: ritualistic elections where... the result is pre-programmed,&quot; wrote columnist Fyodor Krasheninnikov in the independent weekly, The New Times.

And others agree.

&quot;This is the most meaningless of all the presidential polls in Russia, the most lacking in substance,&quot; said Kolesnikov.

So far, the most striking moment of Putin&#39;s &quot;campaign&quot; was when he joined millions of Orthodox Christians in plunging into an ice hole wearing swimming trunks for the January&#39;s Epiphany holiday.

He has since skipped several events this week after coming down with a rare cold.

Functions he has attended have been highly choreographed such as a recent meeting with local mayors, when Putin was choppered in, met with a star-struck few as journalists watched on a screen from another room.

Although the numbers planning to vote for him have dipped from last year&#39;s high of 76.9 percent, Putin still commands a 71.5 percent of support, VTsIOM figures show.

For pro-Kremlin observers, Putin&#39;s campaign is laying the ground for his future term and eschewing stunts that would only gain him a few points in the election.

&quot;We see real hands-on work that has significantly greater results than populist fussing around for the sake of an extra one to two percent in elections,&quot; said Nikolai Kalmykov of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.

With opposition leader Alexei Navalny barred from standing due to a fraud conviction, he is urging his supporters -- many of them young -- to boycott the polls. 
The latest VTsIOM polls suggest the lowest turnout is likely to be among 18 to 24-year-olds.

Among those running against Putin are two new colourful characters who may have a political future ahead of them.

Ksenia Sobchak, a former reality show host turned liberal journalist, is standing on a &quot;none of the above&quot; ticket and has called for Navalny to be allowed on the ballot. 
While she is forecast to come a distant fourth, this outspoken daughter of Saint Petersburg&#39;s former mayor -- Putin&#39;s political mentor -- is one of the few people who doesn&#39;t fear him, and sparks could fly if they were to meet.

Another is debonair businessman Pavel Grudinin, the little-known director of an agribusiness who was chosen as the Communist candidate in December after veteran leader Gennady Zyuganov chose not to stand.

The moustachioed 57-year-old businessman, who has praised Stalin, scored well in early polls, prompting a wave of negative coverage from state and pro-Kremlin media over fears he could do better than planned, observers said.

If the vote were held today, he would win 7.3 percent, polls show.

&quot;There is a campaign and it does have an element of intrigue... Sobchak and Grudinin,&quot; said Kolesnikov, who said the polls would test Sobchak&#39;s potential for leading a liberal party and Grudinin&#39;s to take over from Zyuganov. 
&nbsp;

It sometimes seems like Russian President Vladimir Putin is not campaigning for re-election at all

Running with a lacklustre slogan, no programme and refusing to debate his opponents, it sometimes seems like Russian President Vladimir Putin is not campaigning for re-election at all. But it is unlikely to matter for the 65-year-old strongman who is cruising towards victory and a historic fourth Kremlin term in next month's election, with a result that seems so inevitable analysts are calling it a return to the Soviet era. "Putin is the only candidate without a programme. That is extremely alarming," said Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Moscow Center, describing it as "a demonstration of disregard for his people." As always, Putin has bowed out of debates and has symbolically refused his free television airtime as a candidate. But he already benefits from wall-to-wall news coverage, and Channel One state television has been rebroadcasting Oliver Stone's four-part documentary about him although it won't show the last episode until after the vote following a slap on the wrist from the electoral commission. The most visible sign of his campaign are the images of him plastered on billboards along highways outside Moscow under the slogan: "A strong president makes for a strong country." Generic posters from the Central Electoral Commission urging people to vote are everywhere. Putin's main task is to ensure a respectable turnout, with state pollsters VTsIOM predicting 80.4 percent although last time, participation was just over 65 percent. "We have returned to what we had hoped to leave behind after the collapse of Soviet power: ritualistic elections where... the result is pre-programmed," wrote columnist Fyodor Krasheninnikov in the independent weekly, The New Times. And others agree. "This is the most meaningless of all the presidential polls in Russia, the most lacking in substance," said Kolesnikov. So far, the most striking moment of Putin's "campaign" was when he joined millions of Orthodox Christians in plunging into an ice hole wearing swimming trunks for the January's Epiphany holiday. He has since skipped several events this week after coming down with a rare cold. Functions he has attended have been highly choreographed such as a recent meeting with local mayors, when Putin was choppered in, met with a star-struck few as journalists watched on a screen from another room. Although the numbers planning to vote for him have dipped from last year's high of 76.9 percent, Putin still commands a 71.5 percent of support, VTsIOM figures show. For pro-Kremlin observers, Putin's campaign is laying the ground for his future term and eschewing stunts that would only gain him a few points in the election. "We see real hands-on work that has significantly greater results than populist fussing around for the sake of an extra one to two percent in elections," said Nikolai Kalmykov of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. With opposition leader Alexei Navalny barred from standing due to a fraud conviction, he is urging his supporters -- many of them young -- to boycott the polls. The latest VTsIOM polls suggest the lowest turnout is likely to be among 18 to 24-year-olds. Among those running against Putin are two new colourful characters who may have a political future ahead of them. Ksenia Sobchak, a former reality show host turned liberal journalist, is standing on a "none of the above" ticket and has called for Navalny to be allowed on the ballot. While she is forecast to come a distant fourth, this outspoken daughter of Saint Petersburg's former mayor -- Putin's political mentor -- is one of the few people who doesn't fear him, and sparks could fly if they were to meet. Another is debonair businessman Pavel Grudinin, the little-known director of an agribusiness who was chosen as the Communist candidate in December after veteran leader Gennady Zyuganov chose not to stand. The moustachioed 57-year-old businessman, who has praised Stalin, scored well in early polls, prompting a wave of negative coverage from state and pro-Kremlin media over fears he could do better than planned, observers said. If the vote were held today, he would win 7.3 percent, polls show. "There is a campaign and it does have an element of intrigue... Sobchak and Grudinin," said Kolesnikov, who said the polls would test Sobchak's potential for leading a liberal party and Grudinin's to take over from Zyuganov.

No programme, no debate but Putin cruising to poll win

Russian police raided the Moscow headquarters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Sunday after his supporters began a day of nationwide protests, calling for a boycott of what they said would be a rigged presidential election in March.

Police forced their way into Navalny`s office using power tools, citing reports of a bomb threat, an online feed run by Navalny`s supporters showed.

Navalny also wrote on Twitter that he has been detained soon after joining a rally in Moscow on Sunday.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Меня задержали. Это значения не имеет. Приходите на Тверскую. Вы не за меня выходите, а за себя и своё будущее.
&mdash; Alexey Navalny (@navalny) <a href="https://twitter.com/navalny/status/957578736001536000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Navalny has been barred from running in the March 18 election which polls show incumbent president Vladimir Putin is on track to easily win. Though Navalny says he knows Putin will be re-elected, his spoiler campaign is aimed at lowering voter turnout to try to take the shine off a Putin win.

Six of Navalny`s allies were detained during the police raid, OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said. It said they were among more than 60 people detained across Russia by 1300 Moscow time.&nbsp;

Police shut down a TV studio at Navalny`s office during the same raid which had been broadcasting online news bulletins, but another studio in a different location continued to operate.

In the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, just under 900 miles (1448.41 km) east of Moscow, around 1,000 protesters gathered in temperatures of nearly -10 Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) to back Navalny`s boycott call.

&quot;No election? No to elections,&quot; a placard being held by one young man read. Other protesters waved Russian flags or red and white placards calling for a boycott.

&quot;We don`t yet have the right to vote,&quot; Masha, 16, who declined to give her surname, told Reuters. &quot;But we need to think about the future and we want to live in a country where there will be honest elections.&quot;

Yevgeny Roizman, the city`s opposition-minded mayor, said he backed a boycott. &quot;When you see injustice and lies and you can`t change the situation you can at least not take part in it.&quot;

Navalny&#39;s supporters said they expected thousands of people to take part in similar demonstrations in 118 towns and cities.

&quot;Your own life is at stake,&quot; Navalny said in a pre-protest video. &quot;How many more years to do you want to live with these thieves, bigots and creeps?&quot;&nbsp;

It was unclear where Navalny was, but a group of police officers was stationed near his home. Navalny said he planned to attend the Moscow protest later on Sunday.&nbsp;

Possible violence

Police warned beforehand they would harshly suppress any illegal protest activity and authorities refused to authorise events in Moscow and St Petersburg, the country`s two biggest cities, raising the possibility of clashes.

A Reuters reporter saw a heavy police presence in central Moscow ahead of the protest, with a command centre and buses filled with policemen parked on side streets.&nbsp;

Navalny, a lawyer who has campaigned against official corruption, was barred from running for the presidency by the central election commission in December over what he said was a trumped-up suspended prison sentence.

The United States and the EU criticised the decision.

Putin, who has dominated the Russian political landscape for nearly two decades, described U.S. criticism of the election commission`s decision as crude interference in Russia`s internal affairs and suggested Navalny was Washington`s pick for the presidency.

Polls show Navalny had scant chance of beating Putin, but Navalny says the system is rigged against political opponents like himself which makes polls meaningless.

Police forced their way into Navalny`s office using power tools, citing reports of a bomb threat, an online feed run by Navalny's supporters showed

Russian police raided the Moscow headquarters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Sunday after his supporters began a day of nationwide protests, calling for a boycott of what they said would be a rigged presidential election in March. Police forced their way into Navalny`s office using power tools, citing reports of a bomb threat, an online feed run by Navalny`s supporters showed. Navalny also wrote on Twitter that he has been detained soon after joining a rally in Moscow on Sunday. Меня задержали. Это значения не имеет. Приходите на Тверскую. Вы не за меня выходите, а за себя и своё будущее. — Alexey Navalny (@navalny) January 28, 2018 × Navalny has been barred from running in the March 18 election which polls show incumbent president Vladimir Putin is on track to easily win. Though Navalny says he knows Putin will be re-elected, his spoiler campaign is aimed at lowering voter turnout to try to take the shine off a Putin win. Six of Navalny`s allies were detained during the police raid, OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said. It said they were among more than 60 people detained across Russia by 1300 Moscow time. Police shut down a TV studio at Navalny`s office during the same raid which had been broadcasting online news bulletins, but another studio in a different location continued to operate. In the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, just under 900 miles (1448.41 km) east of Moscow, around 1,000 protesters gathered in temperatures of nearly -10 Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) to back Navalny`s boycott call. "No election? No to elections," a placard being held by one young man read. Other protesters waved Russian flags or red and white placards calling for a boycott. "We don`t yet have the right to vote," Masha, 16, who declined to give her surname, told Reuters. "But we need to think about the future and we want to live in a country where there will be honest elections." Yevgeny Roizman, the city`s opposition-minded mayor, said he backed a boycott. "When you see injustice and lies and you can`t change the situation you can at least not take part in it." Navalny's supporters said they expected thousands of people to take part in similar demonstrations in 118 towns and cities. "Your own life is at stake," Navalny said in a pre-protest video. "How many more years to do you want to live with these thieves, bigots and creeps?" It was unclear where Navalny was, but a group of police officers was stationed near his home. Navalny said he planned to attend the Moscow protest later on Sunday. Possible violence Police warned beforehand they would harshly suppress any illegal protest activity and authorities refused to authorise events in Moscow and St Petersburg, the country`s two biggest cities, raising the possibility of clashes. A Reuters reporter saw a heavy police presence in central Moscow ahead of the protest, with a command centre and buses filled with policemen parked on side streets. Navalny, a lawyer who has campaigned against official corruption, was barred from running for the presidency by the central election commission in December over what he said was a trumped-up suspended prison sentence. The United States and the EU criticised the decision. Putin, who has dominated the Russian political landscape for nearly two decades, described U.S. criticism of the election commission`s decision as crude interference in Russia`s internal affairs and suggested Navalny was Washington`s pick for the presidency. Polls show Navalny had scant chance of beating Putin, but Navalny says the system is rigged against political opponents like himself which makes polls meaningless.

Russian opposition leader Navalny detained in Moscow

A massive fire struck at Moscow&#39;s&nbsp;Cosmos hotel on Monday which prompted an evacuation of over 200 people.&nbsp;

As per reports, the fire started at the 15th floor of the hotel and 15 fire crews were appointed and 23 fire brigades were deployed to get the situation under control.&nbsp;

The emergency services said 230 people have been evacuated from the hotel after the fire broke out, reports said.&nbsp;

Eyewitnesses said that thick black smoke could be seen coming from four of the hotel&#39;s windows.

The cause of the fire is still not clear. Further details are awaited.&nbsp;

As per reports, the fire started at the 15th floor of the hotel and 15 fire crews were appointed and 23 fire brigades were deployed to get the situation under control

A massive fire struck at Moscow's Cosmos hotel on Monday which prompted an evacuation of over 200 people. As per reports, the fire started at the 15th floor of the hotel and 15 fire crews were appointed and 23 fire brigades were deployed to get the situation under control. The emergency services said 230 people have been evacuated from the hotel after the fire broke out, reports said. Eyewitnesses said that thick black smoke could be seen coming from four of the hotel's windows. The cause of the fire is still not clear. Further details are awaited.

Massive fire in Moscow hotel, guests evacuated

Moscow on Saturday denounced the &quot;bellicose&quot; and &quot;anti-Russian&quot; nature of new US nuclear policy, warning it would take necessary measures to ensure its own security.

&quot;The bellicose and anti-Russian nature of this document is obvious,&quot; the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it was &quot;deeply disappointed&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;We must take into account the approaches that are now&nbsp;circulating in Washington and take necessary measures to ensure our security,&quot; the ministry said.

The Pentagon on Friday revealed plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal, largely in response to Russian actions in recent years.&nbsp;

The United States already has a massive nuclear arsenal, including 150 B-61 nukes stored across multiple European countries that can be configured for low-yield options.

The new weapons envisioned by the Pentagon would be launchable from submarines or ships, so would not need to be stockpiled in Europe.

Moscow also said the move was &quot;an attempt to put into question (Russia&#39;s) right to legitimate defence&quot;.

&quot;We hope that Washington is conscious of the high level of danger,&quot; the new policy represents, it said.

The document is filled &quot;with all sorts of anti-Russian cliches&quot; and &quot;ends with unfounded allegations&quot; that Russia has breached agreements on arms control.

The foreign ministry said Russia would &quot;strictly respect its obligations in respect to all the international accords.&quot;

The US says Russia has developed, tested and deployed an intermediate-range missile system that breaks its commitments under a 1987 treaty between Washington and the Soviet Union.&nbsp;

Moscow has repeatedly denied claims that its recent deployment of a land-based missile system breaks the treaty.

The Pentagon on Friday revealed plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal, largely in response to Russian actions in recent years.

Moscow on Saturday denounced the "bellicose" and "anti-Russian" nature of new US nuclear policy, warning it would take necessary measures to ensure its own security. "The bellicose and anti-Russian nature of this document is obvious," the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it was "deeply disappointed". "We must take into account the approaches that are now circulating in Washington and take necessary measures to ensure our security," the ministry said. The Pentagon on Friday revealed plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal, largely in response to Russian actions in recent years. The United States already has a massive nuclear arsenal, including 150 B-61 nukes stored across multiple European countries that can be configured for low-yield options. The new weapons envisioned by the Pentagon would be launchable from submarines or ships, so would not need to be stockpiled in Europe. Moscow also said the move was "an attempt to put into question (Russia's) right to legitimate defence". "We hope that Washington is conscious of the high level of danger," the new policy represents, it said. The document is filled "with all sorts of anti-Russian cliches" and "ends with unfounded allegations" that Russia has breached agreements on arms control. The foreign ministry said Russia would "strictly respect its obligations in respect to all the international accords." The US says Russia has developed, tested and deployed an intermediate-range missile system that breaks its commitments under a 1987 treaty between Washington and the Soviet Union. Moscow has repeatedly denied claims that its recent deployment of a land-based missile system breaks the treaty.

Moscow denounces 'anti-Russian' US nuclear policy

A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a US surveillance plane over the Black Sea on Monday, prompting the US State Department to protest the maneuver as &ldquo;an unsafe interaction.&rdquo;

The encounter, first reported by Russia&rsquo;s RIA news agency, cited the defense ministry as saying the US Navy aircraft, an ЕР-3E Aries II plane, did not violate Russian airspace.

In a statement, the State Department said the Russian jet &ldquo;engaged in an unsafe interaction with a US EP-3 in international airspace, closing to within 5 feet (1.5 meters) and crossing directly in front of the EP-3&rsquo;s flight path.&rdquo;

&ldquo;This is but the latest example of Russian military activities disregarding international norms and agreements,&rdquo; the statement said, calling on Russia &ldquo;to cease these unsafe actions.&rdquo;

&ldquo;After the surveillance plane of the US Navy had changed its course to move away from the border, the Su-27 returned to its base,&rdquo; RIA quoted the Russian defense ministry as saying.

'After the surveillance plane of the US Navy had changed its course to move away from the border, the Su-27 returned to its base,' the ministry was quoted as saying

A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a US surveillance plane over the Black Sea on Monday, prompting the US State Department to protest the maneuver as “an unsafe interaction.” The encounter, first reported by Russia’s RIA news agency, cited the defense ministry as saying the US Navy aircraft, an ЕР-3E Aries II plane, did not violate Russian airspace. In a statement, the State Department said the Russian jet “engaged in an unsafe interaction with a US EP-3 in international airspace, closing to within 5 feet (1.5 meters) and crossing directly in front of the EP-3’s flight path.” “This is but the latest example of Russian military activities disregarding international norms and agreements,” the statement said, calling on Russia “to cease these unsafe actions.” “After the surveillance plane of the US Navy had changed its course to move away from the border, the Su-27 returned to its base,” RIA quoted the Russian defense ministry as saying.

Russia says Su-27 fighter jet intercepted US spy plane; US protests

Brazilian soccer great Pele has collapsed with exhaustion and been forced to cancel a long-planned trip to London this weekend, the Football Writers Association (FWA) said on Friday.

The FWA was due to host a dinner in his honour at the Savoy hotel on Sunday but said the 77-year-old would not make it.

&quot;In the early hours of Thursday morning, Pele collapsed and was taken to hospital in Brazil where he has undergone a series of tests which appear to point to severe exhaustion,&quot; the FWA said in a statement.

&quot;He remains on fluids while doctors monitor his recovery. Thankfully, there is no suggestion of anything more serious than exhaustion.&quot;

Pele, who is the only player to win three World Cups, has been taken to hospital for kidney and prostrate problems in recent years and also underwent hip surgery.

Still considered the greatest player of all time, he appeared in a wheelchair at his last big international appearance in Moscow in December for the draw for the 2018 World Cup.

Brazilian soccer great Pele has collapsed with exhaustion and been forced to cancel a long-planned trip to London this weekend, the Football Writers Association (FWA) said on Friday

Brazilian soccer great Pele has collapsed with exhaustion and been forced to cancel a long-planned trip to London this weekend, the Football Writers Association (FWA) said on Friday. The FWA was due to host a dinner in his honour at the Savoy hotel on Sunday but said the 77-year-old would not make it. "In the early hours of Thursday morning, Pele collapsed and was taken to hospital in Brazil where he has undergone a series of tests which appear to point to severe exhaustion," the FWA said in a statement. "He remains on fluids while doctors monitor his recovery. Thankfully, there is no suggestion of anything more serious than exhaustion." Pele, who is the only player to win three World Cups, has been taken to hospital for kidney and prostrate problems in recent years and also underwent hip surgery. Still considered the greatest player of all time, he appeared in a wheelchair at his last big international appearance in Moscow in December for the draw for the 2018 World Cup.

Brazil great Pele collapses with exhaustion

Working with countries like India, Russia, and China is a good, not bad thing, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday.

He was responding to criticism of his desire to improve the relationship with Moscow.

&quot;Working with countries, whether it&#39;s Russia or China or India, or any of the countries that surround this world and encompass this world, is a very good thing. That&#39;s not a bad thing,&quot; he told reporters at a joint White House news conference with Prime Minister, Norway, Erna Solberg.

Trump said he was for strongest military, massive oil and gas and a lot of energy. &quot;Putin (Russian President Vladimir Putin) can&#39;t love that,&quot; he added.

Trump said it was &quot;very much better&quot; having to do with North Korea where the US currently has a problem.

&quot;That should have never been my problem. It should have been a problem solved many years ago when it was much less dangerous. But it was given to him, along with a big mess of other things,&quot; he noted.

He blamed former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, his presidential rival in 2016 elections, saying she &quot;was not was not for a strong military&quot;.

&quot;Hillary, my opponent, was for windmills, and she was for other types of energy that don&#39;t have the same capacities at this moment certainly,&quot; he said.

Trump said it was a &quot;lot better&quot; to work with other countries.

&quot;We&#39;re working with China on North Korea. We&#39;re working with various other countries, and I think we&#39;re doing very well. We had a great talk, as you know and as you reported.

&quot;We had a great talk this morning with President Moon (of South Korea), and I think that a lot of good things are happening. We&#39;re going to see what happens,&quot; the US president said.

Solberg said Norway has a &quot;very good&quot; relationship with Russia.

&quot;As a neighbouring country we do day-to-day work on things that we have to solve for the people and the economic activity that is in that area, which is a fragile area for the whole world,&quot; she said.

Norway share border with Russia.

Responding to a question on allegations of Russian interference in elections in European countries, Solberg said her government has found no such evidence in Norway.

&quot;I think that it&#39;s up to every political system and countries to scrutinise and discuss their own political agenda in their countries. And I respect that very much and that this is an issue for American politics,&quot; she said.

The US president was responding to criticism of his desire to improve relationship with Moscow

Working with countries like India, Russia, and China is a good, not bad thing, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday. He was responding to criticism of his desire to improve the relationship with Moscow. "Working with countries, whether it's Russia or China or India, or any of the countries that surround this world and encompass this world, is a very good thing. That's not a bad thing," he told reporters at a joint White House news conference with Prime Minister, Norway, Erna Solberg. Trump said he was for strongest military, massive oil and gas and a lot of energy. "Putin (Russian President Vladimir Putin) can't love that," he added. Trump said it was "very much better" having to do with North Korea where the US currently has a problem. "That should have never been my problem. It should have been a problem solved many years ago when it was much less dangerous. But it was given to him, along with a big mess of other things," he noted. He blamed former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, his presidential rival in 2016 elections, saying she "was not was not for a strong military". "Hillary, my opponent, was for windmills, and she was for other types of energy that don't have the same capacities at this moment certainly," he said. Trump said it was a "lot better" to work with other countries. "We're working with China on North Korea. We're working with various other countries, and I think we're doing very well. We had a great talk, as you know and as you reported. "We had a great talk this morning with President Moon (of South Korea), and I think that a lot of good things are happening. We're going to see what happens," the US president said. Solberg said Norway has a "very good" relationship with Russia. "As a neighbouring country we do day-to-day work on things that we have to solve for the people and the economic activity that is in that area, which is a fragile area for the whole world," she said. Norway share border with Russia. Responding to a question on allegations of Russian interference in elections in European countries, Solberg said her government has found no such evidence in Norway. "I think that it's up to every political system and countries to scrutinise and discuss their own political agenda in their countries. And I respect that very much and that this is an issue for American politics," she said.

Working with countries like India a good thing, says Donald Trump

In a bid to strengthen Afghanistan&rsquo;s air force, India is reportedly planning to purchase used Russian-made Mi-35 helicopter gunships for the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF).

The purchase was considered at the special request of the Afghan government headed by Ashraf Ghani.

The move signals closer cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow to bolster Afghanistan&#39;s air capabilities.

It also highlights the growing military cooperation between India and Afghanistan.&nbsp;

An Indian Defence Ministry team is expected to travel to an East European country, possibly Serbia or Ukraine, that still operate Soviet-era aircraft, and an Afghan defence team is expected in Delhi shortly to follow up on the discussions.&nbsp;

As per media reports, there was heightened urgency for the helicopter transaction, as all seven of the old Mi-25/35 attack helicopters and Cheetal utility helicopters transferred by New Delhi to Kabul in 2016, have been grounded and need repairs.

NATO countries cannot purchase Russian-made hardware&ndash;including the parts needed to repair Soviet-era helicopters&ndash;due to Western-imposed sanctions on Russia.&nbsp;

As a result, the Indian initiative will be of particular importance.

If reports are to be believed, Russia has already agreed to take over maintenance of the Indian-supplied Mi-25s and M-17 transport helicopters.

The purchase was considered at the special request of the Afghan government headed by Ashraf Ghani

In a bid to strengthen Afghanistan’s air force, India is reportedly planning to purchase used Russian-made Mi-35 helicopter gunships for the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF). The purchase was considered at the special request of the Afghan government headed by Ashraf Ghani. The move signals closer cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow to bolster Afghanistan's air capabilities. It also highlights the growing military cooperation between India and Afghanistan. An Indian Defence Ministry team is expected to travel to an East European country, possibly Serbia or Ukraine, that still operate Soviet-era aircraft, and an Afghan defence team is expected in Delhi shortly to follow up on the discussions. As per media reports, there was heightened urgency for the helicopter transaction, as all seven of the old Mi-25/35 attack helicopters and Cheetal utility helicopters transferred by New Delhi to Kabul in 2016, have been grounded and need repairs. NATO countries cannot purchase Russian-made hardware–including the parts needed to repair Soviet-era helicopters–due to Western-imposed sanctions on Russia. As a result, the Indian initiative will be of particular importance. If reports are to be believed, Russia has already agreed to take over maintenance of the Indian-supplied Mi-25s and M-17 transport helicopters.

Watch: India to buy Russian Mi-35 helicopters for Afghanistan

A Russian helicopter crashed in Syria on New Year&#39;s Eve killing both pilots following a technical fault, Moscow&#39;s defence ministry said Wednesday.

The Mi-24 military helicopter was flying to Hama, northwestern Syria, and there was no firing from the ground, agencies quote the ministry as saying.&nbsp;

&quot;Both pilots died in a hard landing 15 km (nine miles) from the air base,&quot; the ministry said, adding that a technician had been injured and taken to another air base at for emergency treatment.

A Russian helicopter crashed in Syria on New Year's Eve killing both pilots following a technical fault, Moscow's defence ministry said Wednesday

A Russian helicopter crashed in Syria on New Year's Eve killing both pilots following a technical fault, Moscow's defence ministry said Wednesday. The Mi-24 military helicopter was flying to Hama, northwestern Syria, and there was no firing from the ground, agencies quote the ministry as saying. "Both pilots died in a hard landing 15 km (nine miles) from the air base," the ministry said, adding that a technician had been injured and taken to another air base at for emergency treatment.

Russian helicopter crashes in Syria, 2 dead

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