Updated March 19, 2018 10:06:25

Photo: Theresa May and Vladimir Putin have exchanged barbs over the poisoning of an ex-spy in the UK. (AP: PA (L) Pavel Golovkin (R))

Russian President Vladimir Putin says it is nonsense to think that Moscow would have poisoned former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, who are critically ill in a British hospital.

Britain said Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by the Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent, and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Sunday that Russia has been stockpiling it and investigating how such weapons could be used in assassinations.

But Mr Putin, in his first detailed comments on the poisoning, said Russia had been falsely accused.

"As for the tragedy that you mentioned, I found out about it from the media," Mr Putin told reporters.

"The first thing that entered my head was that if it had been a military-grade nerve agent, the people would have died on the spot.

Britain says it was "highly likely" Russia was involved in the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal. Here's why.

"Secondly, Russia does not have such [nerve] agents.

"We destroyed all our chemical weapons under the supervision of international organisations, and we did it first, unlike some of our partners who promised to do it, but unfortunately did not keep their promises."

Despite the tensions, Mr Putin said Moscow was ready to work with London.

"We are ready to cooperate, we said that straight away, we are ready to take part in the necessary investigations, but for that there needs be a desire from the other side, and we don't see that yet," Mr Putin said.

"But we are not taking it off the agenda, joint efforts are possible.

"I think any sensible person would understand that it would be rubbish, drivel, nonsense, for Russia to embark on such an escapade on the eve of a presidential election. It's just unthinkable."

Photo: Sergei Skripal and Yulia Skripal remain in a critical condition. (AP: Misha Japaridze, Facebook: Yulia Skripal)

Mr Putin was speaking after winning a new term in a presidential election.

British officials have said Moscow was culpable for the poisoning and expelled 23 Russian diplomats based in London.

Moscow retaliated on Saturday by expelling the same number of British diplomats from Moscow, shuttering the British consulate in Russia's second city of St Petersburg and closing down the Russian activities of the British Council, which promotes British culture overseas.

Reuters

Topics: security-intelligence, world-politics, crime, law-crime-and-justice, foreign-affairs, russian-federation, united-kingdom

First posted March 19, 2018 09:49:28