Russian Embassy staff in London used the case of a British weapons inspector who killed himself in 2003 to insinuate that U.K. security services may have been involved in the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

The briefing in London on Monday was open to "all accredited embassies" and was intended to put across the Russian government's position on the attack on the former Russian double agent. Most EU countries boycotted the meeting but diplomats from Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Slovenia attended. Several unnamed, non-EU countries also attended the meeting.

Russia has denied any involvement in the incident and has responded to the mass withdrawal of diplomats by EU countries by suggesting that British authorities may have been behind the attack. That continued at the meeting on Monday, according to half a dozen people who attended or were briefed on what happened.

Two officials said the Russian ambassador, Alexander Yakovenko, accused the U.K. government of not sharing information or evidence of alleged Russian involvement.

"As you might know, the vast majority of the world community — over 160 countries — have shown zero solidarity with the British allegations" — Russian Embassy in U.K. statement

The officials said there was no direct reference made to the involvement of British intelligence services in the poisoning. But embassy staff insinuated such involvement "by bringing up the case of a British doctor who committed suicide in 2003 after having denounced that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq," one of the officials said.

That's a clear reference to David Kelly, a government scientist who was part of a U.N. inspection team that searched for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq ahead of the war. The supposed presence of WMD was used by the Tony Blair government to justify going to war with Iraq.

A BBC report claimed Westminster had "sexed up" the intelligence it presented to the public, which led to a high-profile spat between the broadcaster and the government. Shortly after Kelly was outed as the BBC's source for the report, his body was found in woods near his home. Although an inquiry ruled it was suicide, there are persistent rumours and conspiracy theories — including from some MPs — which assert that Kelly was murdered.

Another complaint against Britain in the meeting was that no Russian diplomat was allowed to visit Sergei Skripal and his daughter in hospital. Doctors on Thursday said Yulia Skripal is no longer in a critical condition.

A majority of EU member countries sided with the U.K. by expelling Russian diplomats. Three of the countries that attended the London meeting — Austria, Greece and Cyprus — did not.

Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece confirmed that an official from each of their countries attended the Russian briefing. The Slovenian Embassy in London could not be reached for comment.

The Russian Embassy in London said: "As you might know, the vast majority of the world community — over 160 countries — have shown zero solidarity with the British allegations." The embassy declined to comment on whether the briefing had suggested U.K. intelligence had a role in the Skripal attack.

According to an official familiar with what happened at the embassy, the Bulgarian official used the meeting to remind Russia that EU leaders had come out in support of the U.K. at a summit in Brussels and then announced that Sofia was recalling its ambassador to Moscow "for consultations."

On Wednesday, the Russian foreign ministry said Britain has proven itself incapable of keeping Russians safe “more than once.”

In a statement on the website of the Russian Embassy to the U.K., the ministry cited “glaring examples” of when its citizens were hurt or killed on U.K. territory.

These included, the statement said, “the poisoning of former FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko, the death of businessmen Badri Patarkatsishvili and Alexander Perepilichny under unclear circumstances, the mysterious ‘suicide’ of Boris Berezovsky and the strangling of Berezovsky’s business partner Nikolai Glushkov, and lastly, the recent attempt on the lives and health of Sergey Skripal and his daughter Yulia.”