Russia’s foreign ministry on Monday said allegations of Moscow’s involvement in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the English town of Salisbury - an event which led to a new round of U.S. sanctions against Russia - were groundless.

“We see the groundless allegations of Russia’s involvement in the Salisbury incident as another attempt to paint our country as a state which approaches its international obligations in an irresponsible fashion,” the ministry said in a statement.

Washington said on Wednesday it would impose fresh sanctions on Russia by the end of August after it determined that Moscow had used a nerve agent against Skripal and his daughter in Britain.