Amesbury poisonings - A symptom of Putin’s ambition

That two British citizens have been poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok, the toxin used in the March murder attempt on former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, will further damage relationships between Putin’s Russia and Britain and, by extension, Europe.

Though Scotland Yard is investigating the links between the events it has been assumed that this latest couple are the unfortunate victims of a random encounter with the agent used against the Skripals.

That such a lethal substance is in the environment, in unknown quantities and at unknown locations, is at best unnerving.

That it is, unfortunately, shows the reality of a world where the possibility of collateral damage is not a limiting factor even if that means innocent people are put in jeopardy.

Appalling as this is it is even more appalling that when Putin and Trump meet in Helsinki on July 16 it is unlikely to get even a passing mention.

UK reaction to Amesbury incident puzzling. Russia proposed a joint investigation into Salisbury from the very outset, proposal remains valid. Instead of cooperating, London prefers to muddy the waters, confuse and intimidate its own citizens.
https://t.co/lGR769N5ID pic.twitter.com/TwIF9iCxKQ

— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) July 5, 2018

This, and Trump’s promise to withdraw American troops from Europe, will indicate how fractured a relationship once the bedrock of international stability has become.

The plight of the Amesbury couple is just one symptom of a world where an assertive Russia feels it can extend its reach unfettered by a White House narcissist who, when he goes to Helsinki may imagine he’s making history when in fact, he is being used as a wedge to weaken alliances still strong enough to limit Putin’s ambitions.