Salisbury attack suspects should be 'brought to justice', Theresa May vows
2 min read
Theresa May has insisted that those suspected of the Salisbury chemcial attack must be “brought to justice” as she prepares for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were left hospitalised after being poisoned by Novichok last year.
A 44-year-old British woman, Dawn Sturgess, also died after coming into contact with the same substance.
The Government has accused Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, believed to be officers in the Russian Military Intelligency Service, known as the GRU, of being responsible for the attack.
But Russia has denied any involvement - and insisted the pair will not be handed over.
Speaking to the BBC ahead of her meeting with President Putin on the margins of the G20 summit in Japan, Mrs May said: “I’m going to make absolutely clear the position the UK takes in relation to what happened in Salisbury.
“We believe these individuals should be brought to justice.
“We believe that obviously we have identified the evidence, we have identified two individuals, we believe that they should be brought to justice. It’s a longstanding position that Russia does not allow the extradition of its nationals.
“But there are European arrest warrants out for these individuals and if they step foot outside Russia then we will be making every effort to ensure that they are brought to justice.”
It will be the first meeting between Mrs May and President Putin since the nerve agent attack took place.
"Russia needs to recognise its acts and stop acting in this way and stop its other destabilising activities around the world, including for example its use of disinformation and cyberattacks,” Mrs May added.
Meanwhile in an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Putin said he hoped a “few preliminary steps” would be made in restoring relations between the UK and Russia.
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