states agreed with” when they offered their support to Britain, as Russia was not given any information. “We don’t agree with this and repeat that Russia had absolutely nothing to do with the Skripal case,” he said. The text was tougher than one agreed to earlier this week by European Union foreign ministers after talks attended by Britain’s foreign secretary, Boris Johnson. Before the summit meeting, Mr. Putin spoke by phone with three European Union leaders, the Kremlin announced, a reminder that Moscow has allies within the bloc. After next March, Britain’s prime minister will no longer attend such meetings, making the prospect of such a unified European response to a British concern less likely.

Source: New York Times March 23, 2018 11:05 UTC