Moscow Warns UK Against Delivering Ultimatums to Russia Over Skripal Case

The Russian representatives have slammed UK Prime Minister Theresa May's allegations in the British parliament that it was "highly likely" that Russia was engaged in the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in the British city of Salisbury.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday that Russia is calling on the UK to stop speaking in the language of ultimatums after Theresa May said Moscow had until Tuesday evening to explain its actions regarding the incident.

"Not a single person can come to the parliament and say: 'I give Russia 24 hours'; What kind of talk is that after all?" Zakharova said on the "60 minutes" program on Tuesday, commenting on Theresa's May speech regarding the case of ex-spy Sergei Skripal, who was poisoned in the British city of Salisbury.

Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in the UK sent a note to the UK Foreign Office saying Moscow was not involved in the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and calling for a joint investigation into the matter.

7/7 Today the Embassy sent a note to @ForeignOffice reiterating that Russia is not involved in the Salisbury incident and outlining the above mentioned demands for joint investigation pic.twitter.com/Vj5mxFBpfA

— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) 13 марта 2018 г.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry handed over a note of protest to British Ambassador to Russia Laurie Bristow over the accusations of Moscow's engagement in Skripal's poisoning. British Prime Minister Teresa May has said Russia was "highly likely" involved in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, calling the incident an "indiscriminate and irresponsible action against the United Kingdom." She ruled out "business as usual" with Moscow, warning the UK was ready to take more extensive measures against Russia.

"Any threats of 'sanctions' against Russia will not remain unanswered. This should be understood by the British," the Russian Foreign Ministry announced after Laurie Bristow met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov to discuss the issue.

READ MORE: The Skripal Mystery — Supposition Masquerading as Fact

Russian ex-spy and MI6 double agent Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious last week at a shopping center in Salisbury. Both of them remain in critical condition.

Skripal was convicted of cooperating with the UK intelligence service MI6 in 2006 and sentenced to 13 years. In 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pardoned Skripal as part of a spy swap program with the US, and the ex-spy moved to the UK.