Russia–United Kingdom relations

The European Union has recalled its ambassador from Moscow after leaders on the continent threw their weight behind Theresa May's stance over the Salisbury attack. Several EU member states were poised to announce expulsions of diplomats, in a bid to dismantle Vladimir Putin's spy network.

Russia's embassy in Tirana on Thursday criticised Albania's Foreign Ministry for issuing a statement directly blaming Russia for the chemical attack on a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, in Salisbury, England, on March 4.

Britain's top diplomat, Boris Johnson, told Parliament on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would use the World Cup this summer as a propaganda tool much as Hitler used the 1936 Olympic Games to glorify Nazi Germany.

LONDON — Theresa May will warn EU leaders over dinner in Brussels Thursday that Russian spy networks in Europe are a threat to the whole of the bloc that will last for "years to come."