Waving the rallying flag, leaders of Britain, Germany and France on Thursday pointed their fingers at Russia, again, for the poisoning of a former spy on British soil, in which Moscow has denied any involvement.
After British Prime Minister Theresa May met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in the margin of the European Union leaders' summit in Brussels, a spokesperson of Downing 10 said in a statement that May provided her counterparts with a detailed update on the investigation into the case.
During the meeting, May said there had been a positive identification of the chemical used as part of the Novichok group of nerve agents by" world-leading" scientists, according to the spokesperson.
The spokesperson claimed that "The UK, Germany and France reaffirmed that there is no plausible explanation other than that the Russian state was responsible."
The three leaders also agreed on "the importance of sending a strong European message in response to Russia's actions and agreed to remain in close contact in coming days," said the spokesperson.
Earlier on Thursday, May told reporters upon her arrival at the summit that "Russia staged a brazen and reckless attack against the United Kingdom when it attempted the murder of two people on the streets of Salisbury."
"I'll be raising this issue with my counterparts today because it's clear that the Russian threat does not respect borders,and indeed the incident in Salisbury was part of a pattern of Russian aggression against Europe and its near neighbors from the Western Balkans to the Middle East," she said.
EU leaders are set to exchange their views on the issue at a time-consuming working dinner Thursday evening.
It remains to be seen whether they will thrash out any tough measures against Moscow.
Foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) on Monday said in a statement that the 28-member bloc "strongly condemns the attack" and "expresses its unqualified solidarity with the UK and its support, including for the UK's efforts to bring those responsible for this crime to justice."
Former Russian double agent Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping center in Britain's southwestern city of Salisbury on March 4. They remain in critical condition in hospital.
Britain claimed the pair were exposed to a nerve agent and holds Russia responsible. The Russian government has denied any role in the incident.
Following the incident, Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats and announced freezing of Russian state assets in Britain, suspension of all planned high-level bilateral contacts, and a boycott of this year's World Cup in Russia by ministers and royal family members.
Moscow expelled an equal number of British diplomats in response.
