Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain “clearly came from Russia” and “certainly will trigger a response,”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain “clearly came from Russia” and “certainly will trigger a response,” The Associated Press reported Monday.
Tillerson told reporters that he doesn’t know if the Kremlin was aware of the poisoning, but that the nerve agent used in the attack could not have come from any other country.
He called the attack “a really egregious act,” calling it “almost beyond comprehension” that officials of any government would use the poison in a public location, according to the AP.
Ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found to have been poisoned with a nerve agent in Britain last week.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday that it was “highly likely” that Russia was responsible for the poisoning. She gave Russian officials until Tuesday to respond to her claims.
However, the White House declined to say whether Russia was responsible for the poisoning on Monday.
“Right now we are standing with our U. K. ally. I think they’re still working through even some of the details of that,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a press briefing. “And we’re going to continue to work with the U. K., and we certainly stand with them throughout this process.”
Russia has reportedly dismissed the British allegations as “provocation” and “nonsense.”
