Germany Still Shares British View of "Highly Likely" Russian Guilt

Although no evidence has yet been presented that Moscow was behind the poisoning of ex-Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Germany reiterates its solidarity with the UK's hostile stance toward Russia.

The German government still agrees with the UK that Moscow is probably responsible for the Skripal poisoning even after the head of Britain's military research center stated that he could not confirm that the nerve agent had been made in Russia.

"Nothing has changed. We share Britain's view that there is a high likelihood that Russia is behind it," government spokesperson Ulrike Demmer said.

Earlier in the day, the deputy chair of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Armin Laschet, the minister president of the most populous state of Germany, criticized the UK for calls to expel Russian diplomats without solid evidence.

“If you force almost all NATO-countries to demonstrate solidarity, shouldn’t you have sound evidence? You can treat Russia as you like, but I have learned a different way of dealing with states, studying international law,” he posted on Twitter.

READ MORE: London Admits Russia's Alleged Guilt in 'Skripal Case' Based on Assumptions

Germany was among the European countries that expressed their "unqualified solidarity" with the UK and expelled Russian diplomats as a punitive measure, as London said that Russia was "highly likely" behind the poisoning attack.

The UK fortified its claims with a PowerPoint presentation consisting of six pages, with the first one being a headline, but did not present any proof of Russia's guilt. The UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that the Skripals were exposed to what British experts believe to be the A-234 nerve agent. They claimed that the substance was developed in the Soviet Union and thus have accused Russia of orchestrating the attack.

READ MORE: UK Prevents Moscow From Contacting Experts With Truth on Skripal Case — Embassy

On April 3, scientists at the Porton Down chemical weapons laboratory concluded that the toxin used in the Skripal poisoning was a military-grade nerve agent, but they could not precisely determine its source.

In response, the Russian Embassy stated that the laboratory's statement proves that London’s earlier claims regarding Russia’s alleged involvement in the poisoning were a “bluff.” Moreover, the embassy also noted that there was no denying that the Porton Down lab could in fact possess the poisonous agent known as Novichok.

Moscow denies any involvement in the poisoning attack and accuses London of fueling anti-Russian hysteria in the West.