Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said Copenhagen would support EU sanctions against Russia in the case of the alleged poisoning of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny. He demanded an investigation to find out who ordered the crime.

      “We will of course join the sanctions against these people,” Mr. Kofod said at a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. According to the Danish minister, the poisoning was confirmed by laboratories in Germany, Sweden, France, including the OPCW laboratories.

      Mr. Lavrov said that relations between Russia and the EU are actively degrading, and the accusations are groundless. “We are no longer surprised that the EU is acting without trial or investigation. We are required to conduct an investigation,  and Germany does not provide us with any facts,” he said.

      On the eve, the newspaper Le Monde, citing sources, reported that France and Germany had agreed on a sanctions list of nine Russian officials. It is noted that the sanctions will affect employees of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation and state security structures. The list will be discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on October 12. The UK and the Netherlands are ready to join the sanctions.