Ukrainian Foreign Minister calls for the removal of FIFA World Cup from Russia following the poisoning of Skripal
Pavlo Klimkin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, supported the position of Great Britain that the poisoning of former spy, Sergei Skripal, is the work of the Kremlin and called for denying the Russian Federation the ability to host the Football World Cup, as indicated in his statement on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
"Recent events related to the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Great Britain are very disturbing. Given the data of the British security services and considering that Russia’s response is hypocritical and not credible, we are ready to support the position of the Prime Minister of Great Britain that this is likely the work of the Kremlin," the statement of the Minister reads.
Klimkin assured Britain of Ukraine’s readiness to join them in ensuring a resolute response of the world community committed to upholding international law.
"It looks like this is a wakeup call for the West, at least, I very much hope it is. Now the West must respond in a way that Russia would feel the consequences of its actions," the Minister stressed.
One of the first objectives should be the Football World Cup that will take place in summer, Klimkin believes. He called for the Russian Federation to be denied the right to hold these competitions.
"Russia does not deserve to host such a prestigious tournament. Ideally, I would like to see Russia deprived of the right to hold this event. If it is impossible to do so on short notice, I call on all nations and freedom-loving people who appreciate rules and procedures, to boycott this Championship," the Minister of Foreign Affairs noted.
As was reported earlier, Great Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats from the country and terminated all high level diplomatic contacts with the Russian Federation because of the poisoning of former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter.
On March 12th, Theresa May announced that there is a high probability that "Russia is guilty of the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia."
The poisoned Russians were found unconscious in the center of the city of Salisbury on March 4th. The investigation is currently being considered as an attempted murder, although, the possibility of qualifying the incident as a terrorist attack, considering a potential danger of using a nerve agent has been discussed.