I spoke with BBC Radio Foyle on Tuesday about the latest developments around the UK, Russia, and the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury, England — leaving the two critically ill and a police officer in serious condition and affecting hundreds of people — on March 4.
The discussion considers the next steps in the testing for the Novichok nerve agent, developed in the Soviet Union from the late 1970s and possibly held by Russia in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the UK to assess the finding of British agencies.
There’s a quick response to “Will President Vladimir Putin change his position?” (No.) Then it is the question — if Russia is found culpable — of what the UK will do in its next steps over political and economic measures, after the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats and intelligence officers. The key? Whether allies will join the British in multilateral action.