The Russian Embassy in the US has posted a Twitter poll asking users which American outpost it should close as retaliation for President Donald Trump’s expulsion of 60 diplomats and the closing of the Russian consulate in Seattle.

The UK, Germany, France, and now the US have jointly called on Russia to explain the 4 March military-grade novichok nerve toxin attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury. The pair remains in critical condition as the UK and US have expelled Russian diplomats from their posts. “With these steps, the US and our allies and partners make clear to Russia that its actions have consequences,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in a statement.

The poll provided three options - US consulates in Valdivostok, St Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg. With 21 hours left in the 24-hour poll, there have been 12,260 votes. Forty-five per cent of those who answered the survey favoured closing the St Petersburg consulate and 35 per cent think Russia should close the Yekaterinburg outpost.

A request for comment to the Russian embassy has not yet been answered. The official Twitter account did not mention if the poll results would be taken into account in the final decision making in Moscow. Russia has denied being involved in Mr Skripal’s poisoning.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May was quick to blame the Russians for the incident which has left the town of Salisbury a "ghost town" as The Independent previously reported over concerns about exposure to remains of the nerve agent continue.She called it a "brazen" act, expelled 23 Russian diplomats, and cut high-level contact with Moscow for the attack on UK soil.

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

Donad Trump says he has congratulated Vladimir Putin for Russia election victory

Russia has, in turn, expelled British diplomats from posts in Russia.

Mr Trump's initial comments were more cautious. He said on 13 March that "as soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them, we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be".

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Mueller’s team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. 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AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 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It was not until after US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said during a Security Council meeting that the US "stands in absolute solidarity" with the UK, that the White House issued a statement echoing the sentiment.

She said Russia must "account for its actions" in line with her strong comments against Russia in the past. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia, suggested the UK might have been responsible for the attack in an attempt to smear Russia. He told the Security Council that "no scientific research or development work under the title Novichok were carried out" in his country.

“The US stands ready to cooperate to build a better relationship with Russia, but this can only happen with a change in the Russian government’s behaviour,” Ms Sanders said.