Logical connection of events surrounding Salisbury suggest incident was deliberate - Russian envoy to EU Chizhov
BRUSSELS. March 28 (Interfax) - The events surrounding the Skripal case make a neutral onlooker wonder about the existence of a certain chain of logic, Russian Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov told Interfax in an interview.
"I will not do any guess work. I will simply mention the logic of those events. The logic indicates that several events involving the two Russian citizens - not just Ms. Yulia Skripal but also her father had Russian citizenship - took place on British soil before the criminal offense [and it is criminal indeed] was committed," Chizhov said.
"Of course, he became a British subject after he moved to the UK following the known events and settled in Salisbury. For some reason, out of the many small quiet towns in the UK they chose the one closest to the largest military researched center dealing with chemical weapons," Chizhov said.
"To put it in a politically correct way, the position of the British government and personally Ms. Theresa May left much to be desired before [the incident]," he said.
"British society has been divided since the 2016 Brexit referendum. Neither camp has the upper hand. Besides, the incumbent British government does not have a solid parliamentary majority and has to rely on the junior partner in the coalition, the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, which has a firm minority opinion on a key aspect of the Brexit, i.e. the line of the intra-Irish border," Chizhov said.
Finally, judging by the British press, the UK cabinet is not united over many matters, including aspects of the Brexit, he said.
There have been some altercations with the United States, which the UK has always seen as its supporter: they result from the trade policy of the incumbent U.S. administration, and some other issues, he said.
"All those things combined show that the subsequent events had a certain chain of logic. I have no facts to bring concrete accusations against anyone, and I do not plan to do so. Yet I am confident that not only Russia but also every neutral observer, and I emphasize the word 'neutral', has questions about the logic of these events and questions they give rise to," he said.