State Department Threatens 'Taking Action' Against Russia Over Skripal Case

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States may take action against Russia over the Skripal case and supports the British government’s decision to expel Russian diplomats, US Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

"We understand and support what the British government has chosen to do in terms of kicking out Russian diplomats from its country," Nauert said. "We’re not going to preview some of our activities, but we are watching closely and we may be taking action."

Former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping center in Salisbury on March 4. London claimed that the chemical used to poison them was made in Russia, without providing any proof, however. The former GRU colonel was tried in Russia for passing critical information to UK’s Mi6.

Recently, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov announced that London was trying to use the OPEC secretariat to back up its groundless accusations against Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that Moscow was ready to cooperate on the investigation of the case, adding that the examination of the samples of the substance in question needed.