Kremlin: Yulia Skripal's statements should be checked

The statements of Yulia Skripal should be checked, in order to make sure that she said them voluntarily, the spokesman of the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, said today.

In an interview with Russian television station NTV, he asked whether any amount of information transmitted through someone can be reliable, given that "it is happening in the midst of huge provocations from the British side", reports Tass.

"The British side does not yet comply with the Vienna Convention, and Russia still has not received consular access to Yulia Skripal. Moreover, we are not sure of her current position, whether she is under pressure, where she is staying, whether she has declared anything and whether it is she did voluntarily," said Peskov.

Yulia Skripal, the daughter of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, with whom she was poisoned in early March in Salisbury, said in an interview with Reuters that she does not currently want the help of the Russian embassy in Great Britain, and that she hopes to return to Russia.

The interview with her was conducted at a secret location, and she got in touch with the agency through the police. After speaking briefly on camera, she declined to answer further questions.

Great Britain accused Russia of poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok, which the country categorically denied.