April 7 (UPI) — The Russian Embassy in London on Saturday requested a meeting with Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson regarding the investigation regarding the poisoning death of a former Russian double agent, embassy’s press service said.
Britain’s government has accused the Russian government of poisoning Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury on March 4. The daughter, 33, is “improving rapidly” from the toxic nerve agent called Novichok.
Moscow has denied any involvement.
“Unfortunately, the current state of the Foreign Office interaction with the Embassy is utterly unsatisfactory,” the Russian Embassy’s press office said Saturday. “We believe that it is high time to arrange a meeting between Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in order to discuss the whole range of bilateral issues, as well as the investigation of the Salisbury incident.”
Yakovenko also sent a personal note to Johnson, the embassy said, adding it hoped “the British side will engage constructively and that such meeting is arranged shortly.”
The Foreign Office acknowledged it received the message but didn’t comment at this time.
London expelled 23 Russian diplomatic workers and more than two dozen countries have also thrown out Russian envoys in solidarity with Britain.
In 2010, Skripal was released from jail as part of a spy swap between the United States and Russia.
He was jailed by Russia for spying for Britain’s intelligence service.
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