Iceland's government representatives will not attend the World Cup in Russia this summer, in solidarity with the United Kingdom after a chemical attack on Russian former agent Sergei Skripal and her daughter in Salisbury, which the British government has blamed on Moscow.
"Among the measures taken by Iceland is the temporary postponement of all high-level bilateral dialogue with Russian authorities. Consequently, Icelandic leaders will not attend the FIFA World Cup in Russia this summer," a ministry statement said.
"So far, Russia's response has been severely lacking. Russia must provide credible explanations on how a nerve agent originally produced in Soviet laboratories came to be used to attack civilians in the United Kingdom."
Iceland officials join the U.K. in their World Cup boycott as Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed on March 14 that no members of the British royal family or government ministers will attend the event.
Meanwhile, Australia Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said their government is not planning to entertain a World Cup boycott.
May said 100 Russian diplomats were being removed from 14 European Union countries, the biggest Western expulsion of Russian diplomats since the Cold War.
Russia has so far denied their responsibility for the attack on Skripal and his daughter.