The war of words between Russia and Britain over an ex-spy's poisoning got uglier Wednesday as the U.K. foreign secretary called it vomit-inducing that Russian President Vladimir Putin is rejoicing over hosting the World Cup. Britain maintains Russia used a military-grade nerve agent known as Novichok in the attack, which left the father and daughter in critical condition. Johnson on Wednesday repeated Britain's position that responsibility for the poisoning leads "back to the Russian state and those at the top." Vladimir Yermakov, deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's department for non-proliferation, scoffed at expressions of Western solidarity, saying they are meaningless in the absence of proof. He insisted that Russia "has nothing to do with (the poisoning) whatsoever" because it "does not benefit us in any way."

Source: ABC News March 21, 2018 13:02 UTC