Kremlin says UK position in spy case 'irresponsible'

Reuters
FILE PHOTO: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov arrives for the meeting with officials of Rostec high-technology state corporation at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia December 7, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow considers Britain's stance in the conflict over the poisoning of a former spy in southern England as "irresponsible" and is preparing to retaliate over London's measures against it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. British Prime Minister Theresa May said earlier this week that Russia was to blame for the nerve agent poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and she ordered that 23 Russian diplomats be expelled from the country. Peskov promised retaliation to the British move, which Moscow sees with "strong bewilderment" as he said there is no proof for the accusations that London has made against Russia. "These are all signs of a provocation against our country. The positions of the British side seems absolutely irresponsible to us," Peskov said. "We insist that Russia has no connection to what happened in Great Britain," he told a conference call. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh and Polina Devitt; Writing by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Hugh Lawson)