"All of us who want good relations with Russia bitterly disappointed that something like this happened because it has set the world back enormously. It is such a tragedy but we have to move on. We once again would have to establish trust between Russia and Britain, other countries," Lord Alf Dubs, a member of the EU External Affairs' Sub-Committee in the UK House of Lords said.
When asked about possible reasons for the United Kingdom blocking a Russia-drafted UN Security Council statement calling for an urgent inquiry into the poisoning of Skripal, the lawmaker found it difficult to answer. He also noted that UK Prime Minister Theresa May gave Russia a "way out by saying that it could have been other people [that] got a hold of the substance."
"Someone has been murdered in England or someone has attempted to murder him with the illegal substance which very few countries in the world know how to make. If indeed the other countries got a hold of this nerve agent manufactured in Russia then Russia should say that. I think the Russians could respond to that," he said.
Russia has faced a series of accusations over the past two weeks in relation to the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the United Kingdom. On Monday, May accused Russia of involvement in the attempted murder, demanding Russia to provide an explanation for the incident by the end of Tuesday.
Western leaders have joined the UK accusations and agreed to coordinate their actions over this issue.
The Russian Foreign Ministry refuted all the allegations and delivered a note, requesting a joint investigation into the case, to the UK Foreign Office. The proposal was ignored by the UK leadership, while May announced a package of anti-Russian measures, including the expulsion of the Russian diplomats from the country and suspension of bilateral contacts between London and Moscow.
