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If the world ignores Russia's actions in Salisbury then New York could be the next victim, US United Nation's ambassador Nikki Haley has warned.

Donald Trump's top diplomat made the chilling prediction as she backed Britain in an emergency debate called at the Security Council in the wake of the British government accusing Russia of orchestrating the chemical weapon attack on in Salisbury last week.

It came after Theresa May announced a series of sanctions against Moscow, including expelling 23 Russian diplomats plunging relationships between the two states into a deep freeze.

Mrs Haley gave the strongest American support for the UK's position so far in the dispute.

She said: "The United States stands in absolute solidarity with Great Britain.

(Image: AFP) (Image: The Times) (Image: TASS)

"The United States believes that Russia is responsible for the attack on two people in the United Kingdom using a military-grade nerve agent. Dozens of civilians and first responders were also exposed.

"If we don't take immediate concrete measures to address this now, Salisbury will not be the last place we see chemical weapons used. This is a defining moment."

As the council met in New York, Salisbury hospital confirmed Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia still remained in a critical condition after the attack.

Britain's deputy ambassador Jonathan Allen told the meeting in New York that the UK would not be deterred by "reckless" Russian acts of aggression.

(Image: Getty Images North America)

"We are grateful for the support of so many countries around the world. We will come back to the council as the investigations make more progress and continue to keep you informed.

"We have already heard the attacks and threats Russia has made over the past few days. We know that there will be more to come.

"This is how Russia has acted in every other case where it has been caught flouting international law: denial, distraction and threats. It is what Russia does.

"But we will not let such threats deter us. We will not weaken our resolve. We will stand firm, confident in our democracy, our rule of law and the freedom of our people.

(Image: Getty Images North America)

"We will stand by the values which are shared by the overwhelming majority of those in this Council, in this United Nations. And we ask you today to stand by us.

Announcing the action in the House of Commons, Mrs May said the attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia amounted to "an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom".

She announced the suspension of high-level contacts with Russia, including a boycott of this summer's World Cup by Government ministers and members of the royal family.

And she said Russian state assets will be frozen "wherever we have the evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents".

The Russian permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, told the hearing: "We demand that material proof be provided of the allegedly found Russian trace in this high-resonance event.

"Without this, stating that there is incontrovertible truth is not something that we can take into account."

Russia's Ministry for Foreign Affairs branded Mrs May's statement as "an unprecedentedly crude provocation that undermines the foundations of a normal interstate dialogue between our countries".

The Ministry said: "We consider it categorically unacceptable and unworthy that the British Government, in its unseemly political aims, further seriously aggravated relations, announcing a whole set of hostile measures, including the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from the country."