Australia to expel Russian diplomats amid spy poisoning row

MALCOLM Turnbull didn’t hold back when he fired up over Russia’s alleged involvement in a spy poisoning scandal.

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull has unleashed on Russia, calling the poisoning of a former spy on British soil a shocking crime that deserved to be punished.

In a joint press conference today with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Mr Turnbull said the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter was a calculated attempt to carry out an assassination on UK soil.

Mr Turnbull said it was only right 23 nations were expelling diplomats and that UK allies supported punishing Russia.

“The brazen attack, the criminal attack in the United Kingdom, in Salisbury on the 4 March, was an attack on all of us,” he said.

“It was an attack on the sovereignty of every nation that respects the rule of law and that is why we are taking this action today.”

Mr Turnbull said the world would not tolerate such recklessness from Russia calling the crime “a reckless assault on the sovereignty of nations”.

Ms Bishop said the decision to expel the diplomats were not taken lightly.

“We share the outrage of the British government and other allies and partners over the deployment of a military grade nerve agent, in an attempted assassination in Salisbury, in the United Kingdom,” she said.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull Foreign Minister Julie Bishop speak to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra today. Picture: Lukas Coch/AAP

“And we should not forget that the manner in which this nerve agent was deployed put at risk possibly hundreds of other lives.”

The government hours earlier joined the global diplomatic offensive against Russia by expelling two “undeclared” spies from the embassy in Canberra.

In an earlier statement, Mr Turnbull said the expulsions were in response to the poisoning of Mr Skripal, a murder attempt Western nations have linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Turnbull briefed Opposition Leader Bill Shorten who later said he was “very supportive” of what he called a “proportional action”.

The high-level reprisal follows similar actions by Britain, the United States, Canada and 16 European Union countries.

“Two Russian diplomats identified as undeclared intelligence officers will be expelled by the Australian Government for actions inconsistent with their status, pursuant to the Vienna Conventions,” Mr Turnbull said in a joint statement with Ms Bishop.

“The two officials will be directed to depart Australia within seven days.

“The decision reflects the shocking nature of the attack — the first offensive use of chemical weapons in Europe since World War II, involving a highly lethal substance in a populated area, endangering countless other members of the community.”

Mr Turnbull said the world wouldn’t tolerate reckless behaviour from Russia. Picture: Lukas Coch/AAP

Mr Turnbull said the British Government had advised that the substance used on March 4 against Mr Skripal was a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia.

He said the attack could not be tolerated.

“We strongly support the call on Russia to disclose the full extent of its chemical weapons program in accordance with international law,” said Mr Turnbull.

“This attack is part of a pattern of reckless and deliberate conduct by the Russian state that constitutes a growing threat to international security, global non-proliferation rules against the use of chemical weapons, the rights of other sovereign nations and the international rules-based order that underpins them.”

He said Australia has had strong sanctions in place since 2014 in response to Russia’s threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Australia also continued to support international efforts to bring to justice those responsible for the downing of MH17, and we have called out unacceptable Russian action in cyberspace.

“In the same way, we will vigorously back the UK’s full investigation of the nerve agent attack,” the statement said.

A metal fence surrounds the residence of Russia’s consul general in Seattle which has been ordered to close. Picture: Elaine Thompson/AP

ROW DEEPENS

The US and Europe kicked out dozens of diplomats overnight in a show of solidarity with Britain following the poisoning attack on Mr Skripal and his daughter.

Father and daughter remain in a critical condition after they were poisoned with the highly lethal nerve agent Novichok in the English town of Salisbury on March 4.

More than 130 diplomats have been expelled across the world as the furore surrounding the diplomatic scandal grows.

US President Donald Trump overnight expelled 60 Russian diplomats and ordered Russia’s consulate in Seattle to close.

Speaking on Sky News this morning, Mr Morrison said Australia stood in solidarity with Great Britain and welcomed the expulsion of Russian diplomats worldwide.

‘BIAS, HYPOCRITICAL’

A furious Russia quickly hit back at the expulsions of its diplomats promising a tough response to the move.

Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement slamming the “confrontational and provocative” move.

“Pulling out indiscriminate accusations against the Russian Federation in the absence of explanations of what happened and refusing to engage in substantive interaction, the British authorities de facto took a prejudiced, biased and hypocritical stance,” the statement said.

Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia remain in a critical condition following the March 4 attack in the English city of Salisbury.

Russia has vehemently denied any responsibility for the incident, while Vladimir Chizhov, Russia’s EU ambassador, said that “from the legal point of view the Russian state had nothing against him (Skripal)”.

Russia isn’t taking the expulsions lying down and its embassy in Washington trolled the Trump administration by tweeting out a poll asking people to vote for which consulate should be shut down next.

US administration🇺🇸 ordered the closure of the Russian Consulate in Seattle @GK_Seattle🇷🇺. What US Consulate General would you close in @Russia, if it was up to you to decide

— Russia in USA 🇷🇺 (@RusEmbUSA) March 26, 2018

MOSCOW BACKLASH

Speaking in the House of Commons overnight, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that 18 of the UK’s allies were taking action against Moscow.

“This is the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in history,” she said.

“Together we have sent a message that we will not tolerate Russia’s continued attempts to flout international law and undermine our values.”

Canada also ordered the expulsion of four Russian diplomats and denied credentials for three others, while Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic followed suit.

The White House said the expulsion of Russian diplomats and closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle will “make the United States safer”.

Senior administration officials told the Associated Press that they were concerned about Russia intelligence using the consulate there as a hub for espionage against the US Navy.

Seattle area is home to one of two US ballistic and cruise missile submarines, the Daily Beast reported as well as Seawolf-class attack submarines.

The US and the EU have announced expulsions of Russian diplomats in solidarity with Britain which said only Russia could be behind the attack.

— with wires