Expulsions of Russians is a short-term measure

The row surrounding the Salisbury affair can be amicably resolved through high-level talks

The repercussions from the events in a sleepy English town three weeks ago have now rippled across the Atlantic with Washington expelling some 60 Russian diplomats from the United States — actions that are being largely repeated across western Europe. So far, a hundred or so Russian officials with diplomatic credentials have had that status withdrawn as governments stand with the United Kingdom in condemning the nerve-agent poisoning of Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia, and another 130 or so who might have been exposed to Novichok. In the past weeks, the UK’s Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, has gone so far as to suggest that the upcoming Fifa World Cup will present re-elected Russian President Vladimir Putin with the same opportunity afforded to German dictator Adolf Hitler in the 1936 Olympic Games.

For its part, Russia says it had no part to play in the Salisbury incident, and says that it will retaliate in kind against those nations that have expelled Russian diplomats. The tit-for-tat expulsions remain the largest such incident since the days of the Cold War. Perhaps the fallout from the incident could have been mitigated had the Kremlin engaged in a better-managed public relations campaign — though the timing of the Russian elections may have interfered with the handling of the affair.

What is clear from this chapter is that Britain still has allies who are willing to stand by it, though it must also be noted that not all European Union nations have agreed to respond with expulsions of their own. Be that as it may, the diplomatic spat between Russia and most of the West can still be amicably resolved through high-level talks.