Putin smirks when asked if Russia was behind spy poisoning

Putin smirks when asked if Russia was behind spy poisoning

This is the moment Vladimir Putin smirked after being asked whether Russia was responsible for the poisoning of spy Sergei Skripal.

When asked on camera if Moscow was to blame, the Russian President smiled a little before side-stepping the question. 

He then told Britain to 'get to the bottom of things there first' when asked about the nerve agent attack in Salisbury which left the former double agent and daughter Yulia in a critical condition.  

Theresa May said last night it was 'highly likely' Russia was involved in the 'reckless and despicable' poisoning of the 66-year-old and his 33-year-old daughter.

But Putin's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this morning insisted Russia 'is not to blame' and said he had asked for samples of the nerve agent - a request he claimed had been 'denied'.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin's Foreign Ministry has summoned British Ambassador Laurie Bristow amid a deepening war of words between the two countries. France, Germany and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have all given their backing to the UK.

Before the Prime Minister's remarks yesterday, Putin was asked by BBC reporter Steve Rosenberg whether Russia was responsible for the assassination attempt.

A smiling Putin replied: 'Listen, we are dealing with agriculture here and as you can see our aim it to create living conditions for people - and you are talking about some tragedies. Get to the bottom of things there first, then we'll discuss this.' 

Putin's brief comment came after security sources said Skripal was poisoned by a rare nerve agent that only a few laboratories in the world could have produced - one of which, the source said, was the Yasenevo lab, run by Russia's SVR spy service on the outskirts of Moscow. 

This morning, Lavrov said he had asked for access to samples of the nerve agent that poisoned Skripal and his daughter adding that Russia was 'not to blame'.

He warned that Russia will only co-operate with Britain on the investigation if it receives samples of the substance that is believed to have been used.

But Lavrov said that Moscow's requests to see samples of the nerve agent have been turned down, which he called a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which outlaws the production of chemical weapons.

It comes after Putin's chief propagandist suggested Britain poisoned Skripal as part of a bid to 'to feed their Russophobia' and engineer a boycott of the World Cup.   

Putin crony Dmitry Kiselyov, a top presenter on Russian state television, today said 'only the British stand to benefit' from the incident - apparently suggesting the UK may have targeted the Skripals.

The 63-year-old, who hosts Vesti Nedeli (News of the Week) on the official state-owned channel Rossiya 1, spoke in front of an image of Big Ben with words translating as 'death trap' written next to it.

The Prominent Russian media personality is quoted as saying: 'Clearly, they instantly started to blame Russia but if one thinks it through, the only ones for whom former GRU colonel's poisoning is good for are the Brits. Simply to feed their Russophobia.

He claimed that 'as a source' Skripal 'was no longer interesting' but added that 'as a victim of poisoning' he was 'useful'.

'Why not poison him? There is no pity. Together with his daughter so that it's more heart-wrenching for the public.

Then there are lots of opportunities, including organising an international boycott of the World Cup in Russia. An excellent special operation.

'Skripal as cheap raw material - and let Russia find the excuses.' 

Theresa May dramatically pointed the finger at Vladimir Putin last night over the nerve gas attack.

The Prime Minister said the facts increasingly suggested Russia was behind the apparent 'hit' on Skripal.

Branding the attack a 'reckless and despicable act', Mrs May said the substance used was a 'military grade' agent Moscow has produced.

Mrs May said the government would not accept such an attempt to 'murder innocent civilians on our soil'.

She will decide on a range of sanctions over the next 24 hours after urgent talks with Nato, the United Nations, EU and US.

The Prime Minister will also draw up a secret package of measures against Russia which will never be revealed.

This could include targeting the Kremlin's propaganda machine. Whitehall sources said yesterday they were accelerating their offensive cyber programme and could hit select targets for a specific effect.

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