Kremlin attacks Boris Johnson after he says Putin was personally responsible for poisoning spy in Salisbury
The Foreign Secretary singled out Russia's president over the Skripal scandal for the first time
THE KREMLIN today slammed Boris Johnson after he said Vladimir Putin was personally responsible for the attempt to murder a former spy on the streets of Britain.
Russian officials said the Foreign Secretary's claims were "shocking and unforgivable" after he pointed the finger directly at the president for the first time.
Speaking in London this morning, Mr Johnson stressed that Britain has no "quarrel" with the Russian people.
He said: "Our quarrel is with Putin's Kremlin, and with his decision, and we think it overwhelmingly likely that it was his decision to direct the use of a nerve agent on the streets of the UK, on the streets of Europe, for the first time since the Second World War.
"That is why we are at odds with Russia."
But the Kremlin hit back, saying: "Any reference or mention of our president in this regard is a shocking and unforgivable breach of diplomatic rules of decent behaviour."
But Russian officials confirmed they would comply with the order for 23 spies based at the London embassy to leave, saying the so-called diplomats will depart on Tuesday.
Earlier Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg told the Kremlin it was "in their interests" to rein in their meddling if they want to avoid a damaging clash with the West.
The tough message came as Putin's foreign minister again vowed to kick British diplomats out of Russia in revenge for Theresa May's crackdown on Kremlin spying. in the wake of the attempt to kill Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
In other developments today:
- Russian officials slammed the Defence Secretary as a "market wench" in a bizarre war of words
- They blamed the row on the Government trying to distract from Brexit
- The row over Jeremy Corbyn's response to the spy crisis continued to escalate
- Mrs May spoke to the leaders of Australia and Italy as well as EU boss Donald Tusk, who vowed to support the UK
- It was claimed the nerve agent novichok may have been planted in Yulia Skripal's suitcase
- Police announced they are treating the death of Russian dissident Nikolai Glushkov as murder
Mr Stoltenberg, the secretary general of Nato, called on the country to stop confronting the West in an escalating "arms race".
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The United Kingdom is not alone, all allies stand in solidarity with the United Kingdom.
"Russia has underestimated the resolve and unity of Nato allies.
"We don't want a new Cold War, we don't want a new arms race.
"It is in their interest not to confront us but to work with us."
Yesterday Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel declared solidarity with Britain, issuing a highly unusual joint statement with Mrs May.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the previous Nato boss, today called for an even tougher reaction to Putin's crimes.
He said: "As someone who has dealt with Putin on many occasions, I am in no doubt that he understands only the language of power."
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov this morning repeated his threat to kick out British diplomats currently stationed in Moscow.
Asked if he was planning to expel UK embassy staff, he said: "We will, of course."
And Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin's response "will be coming shortly" but refused to give any more details.
Putin's ambassador to Britain complained that he is losing 40 per cent of his staff after Mrs May announced she is kicking out 23 undercover spies.
Alexander Yakovenko claimed the embassy would be seriously damaged by the PM's move.
And he made the bizarre suggestion that Britain has ramped up the scandal in a bid to distract from worries over Brexit - casting doubt on whether the Skripals are even ill.
Mr Yakovenko said: "Britain will have to explain what is behind all these things in Salisbury.
"Nobody saw even the pictures of these people in a hospital, whether they are alive or maybe they are in good health.
"Nobody talked to the doctors. There is absolutely no transparency in the case. We want to clarify all the questions behind this provocation."
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In another blast at the UK, Russian officials accused Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson of being uneducated after he said the country should "go away and shut up".
They said the minister was behaving like a "market wench" in response to his comments from yesterday.
But in a bid to prove they are actually taking the incident seriously, the country's authorities today opened a formal investigation into the death of the Skripals.