British Prime Minister Theresa May has warned Russia that the UK will not tolerate any move that threatens the life of Britons.
May made the remarks at the Conservative Party's Spring Forum in central London Saturday amid rising tensions between London and Moscow over the alleged poisoning of a former Russian double agent in Britain.
“Many Russians have made this country their home. And those who abide by our laws and make a contribution to our society will always be welcome,” May said.
“But we will never tolerate a threat to the life of British citizens and others on British soil from the Russian Government,” she added.
On March 7, British authorities announced that former spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, had been hospitalized after being found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping center in Salisbury.
British police attributed the critical illness of the two to a nerve agent developed by the former Soviet Union, and the British premier accused Moscow of being responsible.
May said Saturday that “it is Russia that is in flagrant breach of international law and chemical weapons convention.”
The prime minister has expelled 23 Russian diplomats in response to the incident.
“We will freeze Russian state assets wherever we have the evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents,” she said after the incident.
The Kremlin, which repeatedly denied any involvement in the poisoning, said Saturday it was also expelling 23 British diplomats in retaliation for London’s “provocative” measures.
It later shut down the British Council, a registered charity that uses education and culture to spread British soft power internationally.