Separately, Russia shortly afterwards said it suspected British authorities of detaining the spy's daughter, who was poisoned with him, following her recent departure from hospital.
Samples tested by the Organisation for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW) "confirm the findings of the United Kingdom
relating to the identity of the toxic chemical", the watchdog said.
It
made no assessment of who was to blame for the March 4 attack, which
also affected Sergei Skripal's daughter Yulia and a local policeman.
But
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said: "There can be no doubt
what was used and there remains no alternative explanation about who was
responsible.
"Only Russia has the means, motive and record." Russia
strongly denies involvement in the attack, which has sparked an
international row resulting in the expulsions of diplomats from all
sides. Moscow on Thursday said it would not accept the conclusions
of the international chemical arms watchdog, unless Russian experts are
given access to the samples used.
"There is no information at all
about how, from whom, in what conditions these samples were taken. This
statement raises questions among Russian experts and, of course,
requires additional detailed analysis," Russian foreign ministry
spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in Moscow.
Moscow fears the UK has forcibly detained Yulia Skripal, she added.
"We
have every reason to believe this could be a question of the
deliberate, forcible detention of a Russian citizen or possibly their
coercion into a staged announcement," Zakharova said.
- 'Kremlin must give answers' -
Experts
from the OPCW took samples from the three victims during a visit to
Britain last month, which were then tested in international
laboratories. In an executive summary made public at Britain's request, it said "the toxic chemical was of high purity" but did not name it. That information and details about its structure would be in a classified report shared with OPCW signatories, it said.
Johnson
said the chemical "was a military grade nerve agent -- a Novichok", a
group of deadly chemical compounds reportedly developed by the Soviet
government in the 1970s and 1980s.
"We have called a session of
the OPCW Executive Council next Wednesday to discuss next steps. The
Kremlin must give answers," he added.
Prime Minister Theresa May's
government has said Russia was known to have used Novichok, and pointed
to the country's pattern of "reckless behaviour", including the
annexation of Crimea.
Russia insists it has destroyed all of its
chemical weapons and has responded angrily to suggests it targeted
Skripal, a former intelligence officer who sold secrets to the British.
- 'I'm safe and feeling better' -
Sergei
Skripal moved to Britain in a spy swap in 2010 and settled in
Salisbury. Yulia was visiting from Russia when they were poisoned,
likely via contamination from his front door. Despite initial
fears that they would not survive, Yulia Skripal was released from
hospital to an undisclosed location on Monday, while her father was said
to be improving rapidly.
In a statement issued through British
police on Wednesday, Yulia Skripal said she did not currently want any
help from the embassy, adding: "I am safe and feeling better as time
goes by."
She said her father "is still seriously ill" and said
she herself is "still suffering with the effects of the nerve agent used
against us".
She also distanced herself from her cousin Viktoria
Skripal, who has spoken to Russian media about the poisoning and has
sought to visit Britain, although her visa was rejected.
"I thank
my cousin Viktoria for her concern for us, but ask that she does not
visit me or try to contact me for the time being," Yulia Skripal said.
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