MOSCOW, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia is still ready to help the investigation into the alleged poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter after they were discharged from hospital, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.
"We have repeatedly offered the British partners with all the necessary assistance in the investigation and asked for their permission. But there has not been any response on their part," Putin said.
"Our proposal remains open," he said at a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Putin said he wishes Skripal will be "alive, safe and sound," but he still has doubts about the conclusions of the investigation because, according to him, if a combat chemical agent was used the Skripals would have died on the spot.
"A military poisonous substance is so powerful that a person dies instantly or within a few seconds, maybe several minutes," Putin said.
Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping center in Salisbury, Britain, on March 5.
Many Western countries accused Moscow of poisoning them with an nerve agent and then expelled a large number of Russian diplomats, incurring tit-for-tat retaliation from Moscow.
Moscow has denied any involvement in the case and demanded direct participation in the investigation.
After Yulia was released from hospital, Sergei Skripal was discharged from hospital earlier Friday.
