“If we don’t take immediate, concrete measures to address this now, Salisbury will not be the last place we see chemical weapons used,” Nikki Haley warned. | Fernando Antonio/AP Photo U.S. dials up pressure on Russia after attack on ex-spy

The Trump administration ramped up its criticisms of Russia on Wednesday, with the White House and the U.S. envoy to the United Nations faulting the Kremlin for the “reckless” nerve agent attack on an ex-spy in Britain, and the State Department denouncing the “illegitimate” 2014 referendum it used to justify the annexation of Crimea.

Speaking at the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, Ambassador Nikki Haley dialed up the pressure on President Vladimir Putin of Russia to disclose whether the country played a role in the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy, and his daughter in Salisbury last week.


The diplomat said the U.S. believed Russia was “responsible” for the attack, which she called a “crime” worthy of retaliation from the U.N. Haley added that the U.S. stood “in absolutely solidarity” with Britain after the country expelled 23 Russian diplomats on Wednesday in response to the Skripal attack.

Haley’s remarks marked the first time a top official from the Trump administration directly linked the attack to Russia, coming a day after President Donald Trump said he concurred with British Prime Minister Theresa May’s initial assessment that the move was probably linked to the foreign country.

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The White House later amplified the comments, voicing its support for Britain’s expulsion of the Russian diplomats and decrying what it called Russia’s “abhorrent attack.”

“This latest action by Russia fits into a pattern of behavior in which Russia disregards the international rules-based order, undermines the sovereignty and security of countries worldwide, and attempts to subvert and discredit Western democratic institutions and processes,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. “The United States is working together with our allies and partners to ensure that this kind of abhorrent attack does not happen again.”

In another jab at the Kremlin, the State Department declared that “Crimea is Ukraine,” contesting the legitimacy of Putin’s annexation of the region in 2014.

“We reaffirm our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. “Crimea is part of Ukraine and our Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control of the peninsula to Ukraine.”

The offensive against Russia marked a distinct tone for the Trump administration, which has at times admonished Russia but faced criticism for failing to forcefully condemn its actions, particularly regarding attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Trump, who made an appearance at Boeing plant in St. Louis earlier on Wednesday, declined to address the matter directly.

Earlier on Wednesday, Haley called the diplomatic episode at hand a “defining moment” for the larger United Nations relationship with Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, saying the Kremlin must “account for its actions” in the Skripal attack and open itself for investigation on what she called an “atrocious crime.”

“If we don’t take immediate, concrete measures to address this now, Salisbury will not be the last place we see chemical weapons used,” Haley warned.

The U.S. diplomat, who has been sharply critical of Russia’s role in supporting President Bashar Assad of Syria and his suspected use of chemical weapons, said Russia’s actions merited punishment from the U.N., though she did not specify what direct steps should be taken. “Russia's crime is worthy of this council’s action,” she said. “But this is not an isolated incident.”

May on Wednesday unveiled that her country would expel 23 Russian diplomats in response to the nerve agent attack, telling Parliament that the attack “represents an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom.”

Russian officials on Wednesday condemned the expulsion.

“We consider this hostile action as totally unacceptable, unjustified and shortsighted,” the Russian Embassy to the United Kingdom said in a statement. “All the responsibility for the deterioration of the Russia-U.K. relationship lies with the current political leadership of Britain.”

Russian leaders have requested access to case materials from Britain so they can conduct their own analysis. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday in a statement that it “will not respond to London’s ultimatum until the Russian side is provided with samples of a chemical substance referred to by the British investigation.”

Raj Shah, the White House principal deputy press secretary, told reporters on Wednesday that President Donald Trump remained steadfast in supporting May and Britain after the attack.

“I’ll say that as the president said yesterday, it certainly appears to be like Russia and Russia did commit this act based on all the evidence that Britain has available,” Shah said. “The president did tell the prime minister on the phone yesterday the United States does stand 100 percent with our ally U.K. on this matter.”

Before Britain’s announcement, Trump voiced his support in a call with May on Tuesday, with the two political leaders agreeing that Russian officials “must provide unambiguous answers” about the poisoning.

Trump on Tuesday said he took “as fact” May’s initial finding that Russia was probably behind the attack.

