EU backs Theresa May on Russia and prepares to expel diplomats

Theresa May - Image credit: Press Association

EU leaders have backed Theresa May's stance on Russia, as it emerged that several other countries plan to follow her lead by expelling Moscow diplomats in an attempt to dismantle their spy network.

In a statement issued at an EU Council summit in Brussels, the bloc agreed it was "highly likely" that the Kremlin was behind the nerve agent attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury nearly three weeks ago.

They said there was "no other plausible explanation" as to what happened and added: "We stand in unqualified solidarity with the United Kingdom in the face of this grave challenge to our shared security."

That represented a toughening up of the EU's language on a crisis, with an earlier statement only saying they took "extremely seriously" the UK Government's assessment Russia was behind the poisoning.

It is understood that France, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are planning to kick Russian diplomats out of their countries in response to the crisis.

Britain has already expelled 23 known Russian spies, prompting the Kremlin to respond by throwing out the same number of UK diplomats from Moscow.

In its statement, the EU said: "The European Council condemns in the strongest possible terms the recent attack in Salisbury, expresses its deepest sympathies to all whose lives have been threatened and lends its support to the ongoing investigation.

"We stand in unqualified solidarity with the United Kingdom in the face of this grave challenge to our shared security."

Earlier, the Prime Minister had told the summit: "The challenge of Russia is one that will endure for years to come.

“As a European democracy, the UK will stand shoulder to shoulder with the EU and NATO to face these threats together. United, we will succeed."