Trump to May: I’m with you ‘all the way’ on Russia

Theresa May has been continuing to call Britain’s allies today to discuss the poisoning of Sergei Skripal. She is expected to give a statement to the Commons tomorrow about Russia’s response to the allegation that the state was responsible for the attack, and has been seeking assurances that countries such as France, Germany and the United States are on her side. This evening, she spoke to Donald Trump, who told her that ‘the US was with the UK all the way, agreeing that the Russian Government must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used’, according to the Downing Street read-out. You can almost hear Trump saying the words ‘all the way’, but May was probably listening more keenly for things the President doesn’t appear to have said. For instance, what does ‘all the way’ actually mean in terms of the British response? Would he support a cyberattack, as has been reported as a possibility today? What about a greater military presence on the Russian border? Similarly, the words ‘unambiguous answers’ do not inspire great confidence.