U.K. aims to resettle poisoned Russian ex-spy in U.S., Sunday Times reports

Britain is considering offeringpoisoned Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulianew identities and a fresh life in the United States in anattempt to protect them from further murder attempts, the SundayTimes newspaper reported.

It said officials at the MI6 intelligence agency have haddiscussions with their counterparts in the CIA about resettlingthe victims poisoned last month in the English city ofSalisbury.

They will be offered new identities," it quoted anunidentified source as saying.

The paper said its sources believed Britain would want toensure their safety by resettling them in one of the so-called"five eyes" countries, the intelligence-sharing partnership thatalso includes the United States, Canada, Australia and NewZealand.

"The obvious place to resettle them is America becausethey're less likely to be killed there and it's easier toprotect them there under a new identity," it quoted what itcalled an intelligence source familiar with the negotiations assaying.

"There's a preference for them to be resettled in afive-eyes nation because their case would have huge securityimplications," the source added.

Britain's Foreign Office had no immediate comment on thereport.

Relations between Russia and Britain have plunged to theirlowest in decades since the pair were found slumped unconsciouson a bench in Salisbury on March 4.

Yulia, a Russian citizen, had arrived in Britain only theday before to visit her father, who has been living in Britainfor some seven years.

Both were found by Britain to be suffering from the effectsof poisoning by a nerve agent but they are now recovering inhospital.

Britain blamed Russia for the poisoning, calling itattempted murder, and asked Moscow to explain what happened butRussia denies any involvement and has suggested Britain itselfcarried out the attack to stoke anti-Russian hysteria.

The attack prompted the biggest Western expulsion of Russiandiplomats since the Cold War as allies in Europe and the UnitedStates sided with London's view that Moscow was eitherresponsible or had lost control of the nerve agent.

Moscow has hit back by expelling Western diplomats,questioning how Britain knows that Russia was responsible andoffering its rival interpretations, including that it amountedto a plot by British secret services.