Theresa May to tell EU leaders: 'United we succeed against Russia'

Theresa May will tell EU leaders they will succeed in the face of Russia's threat if they remain united.

At a European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday, the Prime Minister will speak of the "indiscriminate and reckless" nerve agent attack in Salisbury as part of a pattern of recent behaviour from Moscow.

Addressing EU leaders, Mrs May is expected to say: "The challenge of Russia is one that will endure for years to come.

"As a European democracy, the UK will stand shoulder to shoulder with the EU and with NATO to face these threats together.

"United, we will succeed."

The Prime Minister is also expected to thank those allies who have shown solidarity and backed the UK's assessment that Russia is to blame for the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, using chemical weapon novichok.

The US, France and Germany have all joined Mrs May in finding the Russian state responsible for the attack.

However, as a bloc, the EU have stopped short of directly blaming Moscow.

The decision of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to congratulate Vladimir Putin on his recent re-election as Russian President, while neglecting to mention the Salisbury attack or reports of vote-rigging, has also caused splits within Brussels.

In contrast, European Council President Donald Tusk pointedly remarked on Wednesday: "After the Salisbury attack, I'm not in the mood to celebrate President Putin's reappointment."

The UK's National Security Advisor, Sir Mark Sedwill, briefed officials from EU member states on Wednesday about Britain's response to the use of a chemical weapon in Wiltshire.

He said in a statement: "I set out the reasons for our clear assessment of Russian responsibility, the measured but clear response we were taking, the wider pattern of malign behaviour into which Salisbury fits, and the importance of a renewed and wider international focus, including from the EU, on the challenge Russia represents to our shared interests and values.

"It was clear from my discussions not only the strong solidarity with my country but also the shared sense of gravity and determination to look carefully, calmly but purposefully at the implications, given the high stakes involved for our shared European security and the rules based international order."

As well as the Salisbury attack, EU leaders will discuss a growing trade row with the US, Turkey's military offensive in Syria, and the Cambridge Analytica scandal, when they gather in Brussels on Thursday.

Mr Tusk has also recommended to EU leaders that they welcome, in principle, the agreement on a Brexit transition deal, details of which were published earlier this week.

Speaking on Wednesday, the European Council President said: "In practice, the transition phase will allow to delay all the negative consequences of Brexit by another 21 months.

"It is important - not least to our people and businesses - to buy this time, so that everyone is prepared for the real impact of Brexit."

On Friday, the leaders of the remaining 27 EU member states will remain in Brussels to discuss the next stage of Brexit negotiations and adopt a set of guidelines for the future EU-UK relationship.