Australian government stands by UK over nerve agent attack

THE AUSTRALIAN government has condemned the nerve agent attack on a former Kremlin spy, after Britain announced its biggest move against Russia since the Cold War.

THE FEDERAL government has issued a strongly-worded statement condemning the nerve-agent attack on a former Kremlin spy.

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the government is “gravely concerned” by the weapon, adding that they “share the UK’s outrage” over the attack.

“Australia condemns the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, under any circumstances,” they said. “There is no circumstance that justifies the use of such indiscriminate, abhorrent weapons.”

The extraordinary statement comes as former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia are fighting for their lives after being poisoned with a Russian-made military-grade nerve agent.

British Prime Minister Theresa May expelled 23 Russian diplomats from the UK in response, accusing Moscow of being behind the attack.

Mr Turnbull and Ms Bishop today reaffirmed that Australia stands in solidarity with the UK, and supports Ms May’s response.

“We support her Government’s commitment to ensure a full investigation and efforts to bring those responsible to justice. The Australian Government also supports the UK Government’s right to take retaliatory measures, including its decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats and to call for an emergency session of the UN Security Council.”

The Turnbull government has issued a statement condemning the nerve-agent attack on a former Kremlin spy.

Britain’s decision to kick out 23 Russian diplomats marks the biggest such expulsion since the Cold War.

Ms May also announced that neither British ministers nor the royal family would be attending the football World Cup in Moscow this year, and that all high-level bilateral contacts with Russia have been cancelled.

She had given Moscow until midnight on Tuesday to explain how the Soviet-made Novichok nerve agent came to be deployed on the streets of Salisbury, saying either the Russian state was responsible or had lost control of a stock of the substance.

“Their response demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events,” May said in her statement to parliament.

Russia continues to deny any involvement in the attack.