Paris, Berlin rally behind the UK against Russia in spy poisoning case

Europe is slowly rallying around the UK as EU countries mull reactions to the Russian spy poisoning case on British soil.

French president Emmanuel Macron has said he will unveil measures against Russia in the coming days.

Macron spoke with Theresa May on the phone about progress in the investigation.

President Macron said that France completely shares the UK's assessment that there is no plausible explanation other than that Russia was responsible for the attack and he once again expressed his full support for the UK as a close and strong ally.

The Prime Minister and the President reiterated their condemnation of the use of all chemical weapons and said they would continue to cooperate closely in this area.

Support for Britain is also coming from Germany.

In Paris, the new Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Berlin would stand by its British ally.

"What happened there is a crime. It's not acceptable, it needs to be explained", he said.

And Germany expects that Russia will actively take part in explaining this.

"It can be a bilateral explanation. There are also other formats (platforms) in which it can take place", Maas said.

Germany can completely understand why the British authorities reacted the way they did.

While Europe unites against Russia, some analysts argue Putin's popularity could enjoy a boost ahead of Sunday's presidential elections where he is on track to become the nation's longest-serving ruler since Josef Stalin.