The EU’s ambassador to Moscow has been temporarily withdrawn over the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

German diplomat Markus Ederer, who leads the bloc's delegation to Russia, is being recalled "for consultations".

EU leaders made the symbolic move on Thursday night, although it is not a formal sanction.

Following a working dinner at a Brussels summit, European Council President Donald Tusk revealed the bloc's member states backed Britain's claim there is "no other plausible explanation" than Moscow's culpability.

He posted on Twitter: "#EUCO agrees with UK government that highly likely Russia is responsible for #SalisburyAttack and that there is no other plausible explanation."


:: Detective exposed to nerve agent leaves hospital

Image: Markus Ederer is being withdrawn 'for consultations'

Theresa May responded by saying she welcomed the fact that the European Council is "standing together" over the attempted murder of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

She added that "the threat that Russia poses respects no borders and it is a threat to our values".

Reports suggest as many as five EU countries - France, Poland and the three Baltic states - could now follow Britain's lead by expelling suspected Russian spies.

Image: The PM branded the poisoning a 'brazen and reckless attack against the UK'

The UK Government has directly blamed Moscow for the attack in Wiltshire, with traces of nerve agent novichok in the Skripals' blood.

At Thursday's working dinner, the Prime Minister led the EU leaders' discussion of the incident, with Mrs May providing an update on the investigation into the attack.

Mrs May had earlier held special talks on the sidelines of the summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"The leaders agreed on the importance of sending a strong European message in response to Russia's actions and agreed to remain in close contact in coming days," a Number 10 spokesperson said.

:: 'Russia's novichok programme exists, I worked on it,' scientist says

Image: Donald Tusk's announcement will come as a welcome boost to Mrs May

Mrs May won similar backing after meeting the leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden, who were also said to have strongly supported the UK's assessment of the Salisbury incident.

Prior to Mr Tusk's later statement, other EU leaders had signalled they might have been less willing to sign up to a joint statement of direct condemnation of Russia, or to take a tougher stance towards Moscow.

Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras signalled his own resistance on his arrival in Brussels, posting on Twitter: "We have to express solidarity to the British people for the Salisbury case, but we also need to be responsible on that issue."

Divisions in Brussels had already been apparent among top EU bosses this week, with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's decision to congratulate Vladimir Putin on his re-election as Russian President criticised by Mr Tusk.

Image: The PM was looking for a strong response from EU leaders

Earlier on Thursday, Russia's ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, claimed EU countries were awaiting evidence from Britain over the Salisbury attack.

"Basically I think all the countries of the EU will be happy to see something before they make conclusions," he said.

"What I was told by one ambassador yesterday was first we want to see the evidence, then to make conclusions."

Mr Yakovenko's comments came as a UK judge ruled doctors will be able to take blood samples from the Skripals to send to experts at international watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The court ruling also revealed medical tests indicate the Skripals' "mental capacity might be compromised to an unknown and so far unascertained degree" as they remain in an unconscious condition in hospital.

Prior to their working dinner, EU leaders discussed the allegations Cambridge Analytica harvested the Facebook data of 50 million users.

Mr Tusk said: "It was clear to all the leaders that citizens' privacy and personal data must be fully protected. We take this issue very seriously."

The EU leaders moved their discussions on trade to Friday, as news broke the bloc will be temporarily exempt from US President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to America.