LEADERS of France, Germany and the United States have released a statement condemning the alleged Russian nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.

Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel and Donald Trump have expressed their sympathies to Mr Skripal and his daughter who remain in a critical condition at Salisbury District Hospital and police officer Nick Bailey.

In the statement, released with the UK, the leaders said: “This use of a military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, constitutes the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War.

“It is an assault on UK sovereignty and any such use by a State party is a clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and a breach of international law. It threatens the security of us all.”

The UK has briefed its allies stating that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack, with Theresa May announcing yesterday that the government will make immediate moves to dismantle the Russian espionage network in the UK and will expel 23 Russian diplomats.

The statement added: “We share the UK assessment that there is no plausible alternative explanation and note that Russia´s failure to address the legitimate request by the UK government further underlines its responsibility.

“We call on Russia to address all questions related to the attack in Salisbury. Russia should in particular provide full and complete disclosure of the Novichok programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

“Our concerns are also heightened against the background of a pattern of earlier irresponsible Russian behaviour. We call on Russia to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council to uphold international peace and security.”

The leaders added their sympathies and admiration to the UK police and emergency services for “their courageous response”.