Salisbury poisoning: Russian ambassador 'to arrange meeting' with Putin about nerve agent attack, novichok victim says

Survivor Charlie Rowley says Alexander Yakovenko agreed to help him ‘get to the bottom’ of the attacks

Russian ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko, left, meets with Novichok poisoning victim Charlie Rowley. (AP)

Russia’s ambassador in London has agreed to try to arrange a meeting with Vladimir Putin to help him “get to the bottom” of the Salisbury poisonings, according to novichok victim Charlie Rowley.

Mr Rowley had a 90-minute discussion with Alexander Yakovenko but told the Sunday Mirror he “didn’t really get any answers” about the death of his partner Dawn Sturgess.

The pair were exposed to the same nerve agent used to attack ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March last year.

Mr Rowley and Ms Sturgess, 44, fell ill in Amesbury months later after coming into contact with a perfume bottle believed to have been used in the poisonings and then discarded.

Ms Sturgess died in hospital in July.

The 45-year-old told BBC Radio Wiltshire he wanted to meet the Russian president to “get to the bottom of things”.

He said: “That would be great, I’d like to see him, get some face-to-face and ask him on a one-to-one basis, just sort of tick it off the list, say I’ve done it.”

Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Dawn Sturgess, who died after being exposed to nerve agent novichok (PA Archive/PA Images) (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Asked if the question of meeting Mr Putin had arisen during his meeting with the Russian ambassador, he said: “It did. He did say he’s going to try and push forward, try and get some results, get back in contact with my brother.”

His brother Matthew added: “He couldn’t say yes or no, but said if he was to say yes, where would you like to meet, and I said on our behalf it would be better on his own home turf, in Russia, and he said he would try and organise it for us.”

Mr Rowley told the radio station that an apology “would be great” but that he could not see Mr Putin “taking the blame”.

Sergei Skripal and Yulia Skripal (Rex)

He also said the ambassador had said Russia might be able to find him a private doctor to address his ongoing health concerns.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror after the meeting, Mr Yakovenko said he and Mr Rowley were “on the same page” and wanted to see a report into the investigation published.

“It is important for Russia, but also for Charlie Rowley,” he said.

“I’ve seen a normal person who has really suffered a lot and who has suffered a tragedy in his life. If he asked for it, I would give him support.”

In September, Scotland Yard and the Crown Prosecution Service said there was sufficient evidence to charge two Russians - known by their aliases Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov - with offences including conspiracy to murder over the Salisbury nerve agent attack.