The revelation has thrown the UK’s diplomatic sanctions against Russia into question, as well as the sanctions and anti-Russia measures implemented by numerous European and North American states, who acted in solidarity with the British government on the basis of the foreign secretary’s confirmation from investigators at Porton Down of Russian involvement in the Skripal attack.
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"There is no evidence that Russia is behind the assassination attempt on Skripal. This means, above all, that the expulsions of Russian diplomats and all other policies against Russia in this case were premature and unwise,” Mr Gauland was quoted as saying by an official AfD press release.
“Even in diplomacy and politics the presumption of innocence must first apply here. The premature, almost hysterical identification of Russian diplomats merely had the effect of further worsening the already tense relationship with Russia,” he added.
The senior AfD official then called on Germany and other countries which imposed diplomatic sanctions against Russia to normalize ties with Moscow to prevent an unnecessary escalation.
“The governments of Germany, the US and the UK should quickly seek to normalize their relations with Russia, otherwise a further step towards the Cold War will be cemented. That cannot be in anyone's interest. Enlightenment and dialogue must now be the motto."
Boris Johnson is now being accused of deliberately misleading the public, and many Brits have taken to social media to demand his resignation, with #BorisMustGo currently trending on Twitter.
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