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What did 28 March 2018 show about reactions to Skripal?
Summary
A look back at the diplomatic expulsions, a call from a former Ukrainian president and a Polish missile deal.
What was the mood in Europe on 28 March 2018, as the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal continued to drive diplomacy? Three developments from 27 and 28 March offered a snapshot.
On 27 March, NATO and the government of Australia expelled Russian diplomats, a step taken in reaction to the poisoning.
On 28 March, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who was himself the victim of a September 2004 poisoning, called for military action against Russia to be considered. His remark went well beyond the diplomatic expulsions announced a day earlier, and it came from a figure with a personal stake in the subject.
The same day, Poland signed a deal with the United States to buy a Patriot missile system for US$4.75 billion. The agreement was a separate matter from the Skripal case, and it appeared in the same day's reports as a defence purchase between two governments.
Why it matters
Taken together, the three items show different registers of response on those dates: collective diplomatic action by an alliance and a partner state, a forceful opinion from a former Ukrainian leader, and a major arms purchase by a country neighbouring Ukraine. For readers in Kyiv and across the region, the day combined a diplomatic reaction to the poisoning with a large defence procurement.
