Spain expels Russian diplomats over Salisbury poisonings

SPAIN is one of 17 European Union member States to have deported Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, Wiltshire (UK) on March 4, both of whom are in hospital and not expected to recover.

Council of Europe president Donald Tusk says the EU supported British prime minister Theresa May in her decision to remove 23 Russian diplomats from their posts, and in total 56 have been ordered to clear their desks.

This response is a 'direct consequence' of the Council of Europe's discussions about the Salisbury attack last week, and is 'without prejudice of additional measures', including further sackings, 'in the next few days or weeks', Tusk said on Twitter today (Monday).

The EU leaders' Summit on Thursday, after Mrs May sent the Russian foreign office workers home, concluded that it was 'highly probable' that Russia was behind the poisonings and that there was 'no other plausible explanation' for them.

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench near a shopping centre in the Wiltshire city over three weeks ago just after having eaten at the restaurant Zizzi and been to the bar The Mill (pictured), and traces of a nerve agent known as 'Novichok', which is manufactured in Russia, was found in the former spy's and the young woman's systems.

Both are in a critical condition and latest updates hint that they will 'probably never leave hospital'.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement, despite the case being almost identical to the high-profile death of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko in London in November 2006 after his food in a city sushi bar was laced with the radioactive agent Polonium 210.

So far, Spain has removed two Russian diplomats from office in the country, as has Italy, The Netherlands and Denmark, whilst Finland, Hungary, Romania, Latvia, Estonia, Croatia and Sweden have deported one each.

France, Poland and Germany have each sent four home, and the Czech Republic and Lithuania three apiece.

Along with the UK, this means all bar 10 member States have taken this drastic action.

Of those who have not, Belgium does not plan to for the time being, but will debate the issue in the Council of Ministers tomorrow (Tuesday), whilst Portugal says it has 'taken note' of other nations' response but has not yet decided to expel any Russian diplomats and has called for 'concentration' within the EU in order to deal with the situation.

The Russian ambassador for the EU as a whole, Markus Ederer, is expected to stay, although all 28 member States made a conference call to him last week during a European leaders' Summit.