While U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley had strong words for Russia in a speech before the U.N. Security Council Wednesday, President Trump personally has made no public remarks chastising Russia or supporting Britain's decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats and suspend all high-level contacts in response to the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
"The United States believes that Russia is responsible for the attack on two people in the United Kingdom using a military-grade nerve agent," Haley said at a Security Council meeting in New York.
Haley said the United States stood in "absolute solidarity" with Britain after the country expelled 23 Russian diplomats in response to the chemical attack last week on the ex-spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, Yulia.
She called on the U.N. to take action action, saying that the "credibility of this Council will not survive if we fail to hold Russia accountable."
"If we don't take immediate, concrete measures to address this now, Salisbury will not be the last place we see chemical weapons used," Haley said, referring to the English city where Skripal and his daughter were discovered unconscious on a bench.
The president's only public remarks on the issue came when spoke briefly Tuesday morning before his trip to California, saying, "as soon as we get the facts straight – if we agree with them – we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be." He said he would be speaking to Prime Minister May at some point during the day.
After that call, the White House released a brief readout of the conversation which read, in part, that President Trump "agreed with Prime Minister May that the Government of the Russian Federation must provide unambiguous answers regarding how this chemical weapon, developed in Russia, came to be used in the United Kingdom," and said the president "agreed on the need for consequences for those who use these heinous weapons in flagrant violation of international norms."
Russia ignored Prime Minister May's Tuesday night deadline to provide any answers, leading the British leader to take action.
NYT:
A Trump administration official said Wednesday morning that the United States was working on a joint statement with Britain, France and Germany that should be issued later in the day and added that it would be strongly worded.
But Democrats and other critics of the president pressed him to speak out personally and possibly take action to back up Mrs. May.
“Where Prime Minister May has taken bold and decisive initial action to combat Russian aggression, our own president has waffled and demurred,” said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic minority leader. “Prime Minister May’s decision to expel the Russian diplomats is the level of response that many Americans have been craving from our own administration.”
Other critics noted that, under the NATO charter, an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
“Judgment day for Donald Trump,” R. Nicholas Burns, a former ambassador to NATO and an under secretary of state under President George W. Bush, wrote on Twitter. Referring to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, he added: “Will he support Britain unequivocally on the nerve agent attack? Back #NATO sanctions? Finally criticize Putin? Act like a leader of the West?”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also had strong words for Russia on Monday. He was fired by the president via tweet the following day.
Trump, Pressured to Criticize Russia for Poisoning, Leaves Comment to Aides (NYT)
Nikki Haley tells U.N. Russia responsible for chemical attack (NBC News)