Nicola Sturgeon has criticised Alex Salmond over his failure to blame Russia for a chemical weapons attack on UK soil.
The SNP First Minister said “all right-minded people” believe Russia was behind the poisonings at Salisbury and claimed she no longer recognises the Salmond she once knew.
Vladimir Putin ’s autocratic regime has become a pariah over a series of hostile actions overseas and domestically.
These included interference in the 2016 US Presidential election and the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury in 2018 by Russian intelligence figures.
The latter attack, which followed the poisoning of Alexander Litvineko in London in 2006, attracted widespread international condemnation.
Salmond, who after a fall out with Sturgeon is contesting the Holyrood election for his pro-independence Alba party, has come under fire over Russia.
The former SNP First Minister’s judgement was called into question after he agreed to host a current affairs programme broadcast on Kremlin-backed RT.
In a BBC interview, Salmond was asked if he believed Russia was behind the poisonings of the Skripals in Salisbury.
He said: "I think the evidence is as it came forward.”
Asked again, he said: "The evidence was presented at the time...I am struggling to understand what this has got to do with a Scottish election campaign.”
Asked again, he replied: "Evidence came forward as contested. I said it should go to the international tribunals and courts.
"I said that at the time and I think the evidence came forward and people can see it for what it is.”
At an event with journalists, Sturgeon was asked whether she accepted that the Russian state was behind the Salisbury poisonings. She was also asked about Salmond’s failure to blame Russia.
She said: “There is no doubt in my mind Russia was behind the poisoning.
“All right-minded people who value and want to stand up for decent values across the world should say that.”
She continued: “I can’t speculate on why Alex or anybody else decides to say, or not say, certain things. I think those questions have to be put to them. But I guess one of the consequences of Alex now leading a different party to the one I am in is I don’t have to explain what he means when he says or doesn’t say things any longer.”
Asked how she felt about Salmond “hedging” on the Salisbury attacks, she said:
“Sadly not surprised. Disappointed, because I do think that everybody who thinks they’ve got a role to play in politics, whether i think that is well advised or not, should be mindful of the values of our country and the values we want to project internationally and the reputation of the country internationally.”
“I look at him now and won’t always recognise the person I was close to all these years ago. That’s something I have had to come to terms with over the past couple of years and I’ve probably come to terms with it more now than I have in the past.”
