INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Kremlin says it believes Yulia Skripal is under western influence
Moscow — The Kremlin said on Thursday it was deeply sceptical about Yulia Skripal’s first media appearance since she and her father, Sergei, were poisoned by a nerve agent in England and said it was unclear if she had been talking of her own free will. Skripal, who survived the March attack that Britain blames on Russia, told Reuters on Wednesday that she wanted to return to her country "in the longer term", despite the poisoning and felt lucky to be alive. Russia said it has been falsely accused of an attempt on the Skripals’ lives in order to whip up anti-Russian sentiment in the West. "Overall, considering we are talking about a fairly unprecedented international provocation against Russia that was unleashed by Britain and London, we maintain our distrust and have every reason to do so," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call on Thursday. Russia has repeatedly demanded consular access to Yulia Skripal, who it says is a Russian citizen, saying internat...
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