The United States sent a strong message to Russia regarding its alleged role in the attempted assassination of a former Russian military officer in England on Wednesday, saying it's "a defining moment."
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley delivered a warning to the Russian government as U.N. representatives from the Kremlin were seated a few places to Haley's right and were passing notes to each other as she spoke.
"We would take no pleasure in having to constantly criticize Russia. We need Russia to stop giving us so many reasons to do so," Haley said.
Last week, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found slumped over in Salisbury, England. Skripal was a former Russian military officer who was later convicted of spying for the British. He was sent to England to live as a British citizen in 2010 as part of a spy swap.
It's been discovered that Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a deadly nerve agent, and they are still hospitalized. British Prime Minister Theresa May said this week it appears Russia was behind the attack.
"Russia must fully cooperate with the U.K.'s investigation and come clean about its own chemical weapons programs," Haley said. "Russia is a permanent member of the [U.N.] Security Council. It is entrusted in the United Nations Charter with upholding international peace and security. It must account for its actions.
"If we don't take immediate concrete measures to address this now, Salisbury will not be the last place that we see chemical weapons used. They could be used here in New York or in cities of any country that sits on this council. This is a defining moment."
Haley noted that whenever Great Britain is faced with adversity, the U.S. will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its ally across the Atlantic.
"No two nations enjoy a stronger bond than that of the United States and the United Kingdom," she said. "Ours is truly a special relationship."
A report on Tuesday claimed the nerve agent used in the attack is called Novichok and was developed in Russia during the Cold War with a different chemical structure to circumvent the Chemical Weapons Treaty.
Russia denied playing a role in the attack. On Wednesday, May said the British government will expel 23 Russian diplomats because of the assassination attempt.
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