Kremlin Received No Evidence Proving 2 Russians' Guilt In Skripal Case - Spokesman

The Kremlin considers the accusations made against the two Russian nationals suspected of being involved in the Skripal poisoning case to be groundless as no evidence proving their guilt has been provided to Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2019) The Kremlin considers the accusations made against the two Russian nationals suspected of being involved in the Skripal poisoning case to be groundless as no evidence proving their guilt has been provided to Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Later in the day, Brussels will host a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, which is expected to approve the first round of sanctions related to chemical weapons, including in connection with the events in the UK city of Salisbury.

"It [the reaction] is negative. At the same time, you said that they [the two Russian citizens] are suspected. They are suspected unreasonably. No evidence has yet been provided ... Therefore, we have a negative attitude to such decisions," Peskov told reporters, asked about Kremlin's reaction on the potential EU decision on sanctions.

On March 4, 2018, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping center in Salisbury. London said they were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent. London accused Moscow of staging the attack, saying it suspected Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov of executing the poisoning and of working for Russian intelligence.

However, Moscow has repeatedly noted that London has not provided any evidence proving its role in the poisoning. Petrov and Boshirov, in turn, denied their involvement in the attack in an interview with the RT broadcaster. They said that while they did visit Salisbury in the spring, they had come as tourists, further noting that they worked for the fitness industry.