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The sensible thing to do

Mar 21,2018 - Last updated at Mar 21,2018

The poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia two weeks ago, ostensibly by administering on them a life-threatening nerve agent, continues to take its toll on British-Russian relations.

British Prime Minister Theresa May reacted strongly, and rightly so, to the attack, which threatened the lives of British people having taken place in a public place. No wonder May did not take this attack on its soil lightly, especially after the British authorities carried out a thorough investigation that concluded that Moscow is responsible.

Prime Minister May immediately announced her decision of the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats and pledged to consider taking additional punitive measures against Russia. Moscow responded in kind by, first, denying responsibility for the attack, and then ordering a similar number of British diplomats out of the country.

This tit-for-tat cycle threatens to escalate to wider proportions unless the two countries agree on a mutually-acceptable formula to end their conflict. Russia’s denial of involvement per se is not an answer, as the country has a well-established policy and practice of "liquidating" Russians who threaten its national security and are viewed as traitors to the country.

Offering to cooperate in a joint British-Russian probe is also a non-starter as no Russian expert can be expected to incriminate his country no matter how solid is the evidence against it. Sharing information with London on how to neutralise the nerve agent deployed could be the sensible thing to do under the circumstances, even though this will not end the incrimination of Moscow, but will save the life of those poisoned.

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