Russian embassy requests a meeting with Boris Johnson over Salisbury attack

The Russian embassy in London has requested a meeting with foreign secretary Boris Johnson over the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.

In a statement on its website, the embassy said its current interactions with the UK's Foreign Office have been "utterly unsatisfactory".

"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," it said.

"We hope that the British side will engage constructively and that such meeting is arranged shortly."

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We believe that it is high time to arrange a meeting between @Amb_Yakovenko and Foreign Secretary @BorisJohnson in order to discuss the whole range of bilateral issues, as well as the investigation of the Salisbury incident. https://t.co/hOHA18Lclfpic.twitter.com/cS8XMDiXM7

— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) April 7, 2018

Yesterday, the Salisbury District Hospital said Sergei was no longer in critical condition and was "improving rapidly", and his daughter Yulia, who has been awake for more than a week, was getting stronger daily.

The two were poisoned by a nerve agent in Salisbury last month.

The UK has claimed Russia was behind the attack, but Moscow has denied all involvement.

The Russian embassy in the UK has also criticised the government for denying a visitor's visa to Yulia's cousin Viktoria Skripal, calling the decision "regrettable and worrying".

It said the Skripals were being "hidden from the public" while "the only relative who could reasonably expect to see them is kept out of the UK".

"The stubborn refusal to cooperate, to provide transparency and to answer the numerous questions means Britain has something to hide," it said.

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CityAM

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