Skripal Attack Demands Unified Response From U.K., NATO Allies

The Editors

19 Mar 2018, 11:30 AM IST

(Bloomberg View) -- The attack in Britain on the Russian former double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia marks, so far as anybody knows, the first offensive use of a nerve agent on the territory of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member. The response needs to be both firm and multinational.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's statement to a hushed parliament this week conveyed the seriousness of the act, and was clear about where the blame lies: There's "no alternative conclusion other than that the Russian state was culpable," she said. There are limits, though, to what the U.K. can plausibly do on its own. It should do what it can -- while calling on allies to join in a concerted response.

May announced that 23 Russian diplomats would be sent home -- the largest such expulsion since the Cold War. Her government is considering the seizure of some Russian assets and will shut down some bilateral ties. Those moves aren't worthless -- symbols matter -- but they won't do much to inconvenience Vladimir Putin. More promising is May's intention to tighten sanctions against Putin's associates, some of whom own property in the U.K. Visa bans and asset freezes targeted that way can sting. The prime minister also hinted at possible covert actions.

Fine -- but the real need is for a collective response. The Skripal attack isn't just a matter for Britain. The reckless use of such a terrible weapon is tantamount to an act of terror against a NATO member, and its aim is probably not confined to punishing Russian defectors and intimidating those who would do likewise. The U.K. and its friends must show that they aren't intimidated and will not stand for such criminality.

A joint response might include moves to ban Russian propaganda tools such as the RT television network and measures to restrict access to international capital markets. Such steps could be linked to stricter enforcement of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans states from developing, stockpiling, transferring or using chemical weapons. If Russia has been developing nerve agents that aren't specifically precluded by the convention or in violation of it, that too needs to be addressed.

Russia's response so far is denial, derision and counter-attack. Putin is engaged in a deliberate and measured escalation of tensions. The West in general and Europe in particular need to be deliberate, measured and above all effective in their response -- and that requires coordinated action.

--Editors: Therese Raphael, Clive Crook.

To contact the senior editor responsible for Bloomberg View’s editorials: David Shipley at davidshipley@bloomberg.net.

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