President Donald Trump reportedly believed the Salisbury novichok attack was part of legitimate spy games and was reluctant to expel Russians from the U.S. over it.

The then-deputy CIA director, Gina Haspel, convinced Trump to expel 60 Russians after ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned.

The former Russian intelligence officer, 67, and Yulia, 34, were found slumped by shops on March 4 last year.

In the aftermath of the attack, which has been blamed on a Russian intelligence agency, although the country has denied it, more than 100 diplomats were ejected from the United States and 22 other nations.

President Donald Trump reportedly believed the Salisbury novichok attack was part of legitimate spy games and was reluctant to expel Russians from the U.S. over it

Germany, France and Poland each expelled four diplomats, with Lithuania, Latvia and the Czech Republic also taking action.

Ukraine - not an EU state - joined the European revolt by expelling 13 diplomats.

Trump believed the attacks were 'part of legitimate spy games, distasteful but within the bounds of espionage', reports the New York Times.

He was only convinced to expel the 60 diplomats after Ms Haspel showed him pictures of young children hospitalised by novichok as well as ducks accidentally killed in Salisbury by the nerve agent.

He was only convinced to expel the 60 diplomats after Ms Haspel showed him pictures of young children hospitalised by novichok. Pictured: Russian secret service agents Anatoliy Chepiga and Dr Alexander Mishkin who are believed to have poisoned the Skripals

'Mr Trump fixated on the pictures of the sickened children and the dead ducks. At the end of the briefing, he embraced the strong option,' the New York Times added.

In June, Salisbury suffered a second Novichok poisoning which killed mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess, 44, and left her partner Charlie Rowley, 45, with serious injuries.

A fake Nina Ricci perfume bottle - which Ms Sturgess handled - is thought to have contained the substance.

Evidence gathered by intelligence agencies led the Government to conclude the culprits were officers from the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU.

Russian secret service agents Anatoliy Chepiga and Dr Alexander Mishkin are believed to have placed the Novichok at Mr Skripal's house.