The Kremlin on Friday ordered the revocation of the accreditations of six British diplomats stationed in Moscow, whom it accuses of carrying out espionage tasks. Vladimir Putin has thus redoubled his pressure on the Government of the United Kingdom, one of Ukraine’s strongest allies. He has done so just as the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, begins a key visit to Washington on Friday, to coordinate with the American president, Joe Biden, a strategy that envisions the end of the war, with a long-term solution. The possibility that this meeting will conclude with Kiev being allowed to use Franco-British Storm Shadow/Scalp long-range missiles (250 kilometers in range) against bases on Russian territory has infuriated Putin, who has warned NATO that such a measure would mean entering into war with Moscow.
“Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can end this conflict immediately,” Starmer told reporters on Thursday during his flight to Washington. The British prime minister has responded with apparent firmness to Putin’s threats.
The Kremlin’s move against British diplomats is being interpreted by analysts as retaliation against London for being one of the strongest voices in support of increased arms aid to Ukraine. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB, the successor to the Soviet KGB) has claimed to have documents proving that a department of the British Foreign Office has been tasked with promoting “the escalation of the political and military situation” and ensuring Russia’s strategic defeat in the war against Ukraine.
“On the basis of these documents provided by the FSB, and in response to numerous hostile steps taken by London, the Russian Foreign Ministry (…) has revoked the accreditation of six members of the political department of the British Embassy in Moscow, as signs of espionage and sabotage were detected in their actions,” the FSB said in a statement.
Russian state television has shown the faces and provided the names of the six diplomats.
Attacks on Russian soil
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During their meeting in Washington, Starmer and Biden may decide whether to allow Ukrainian forces to use Western missiles to strike Russia at a greater distance from its border with Ukraine. The meeting of the two leaders is preceded by the meeting of the heads of diplomacy of both countries in kyiv with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. At the meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy showed their support for Ukraine to defend itself, warned about the use of Iranian missiles by Russia and listened to the Ukrainian leader’s requests for help.
kyiv wants permission to use Western long-range missiles to hit the bases from which Russia launches attacks on its territory. The US has so far set limits of around 100 kilometres for the use of some of its weapons – Washington is not yet allowing the use of its prized ATACMS missiles, which have a longer range – for fear that a longer range would provoke an escalation and a Russian response. However, the recent increase in bombings of Ukrainian cities from longer ranges has brought the question back to the fore.
The British government hopes that Starmer’s visit to Washington and his meeting with President Biden will be “an opportunity for the United Kingdom and the United States to have an in-depth strategic discussion, before going to upcoming international meetings such as the United Nations General Assembly or the G-20 summit,” explained a Downing Street spokesperson.
Starmer believes that the situation in both Ukraine and the Middle East is becoming increasingly tense and demands responses. Although he has already had previous conversations with Biden, both in person and by phone, and they have coordinated their “tactical responses” in both regions, the Prime Minister is confident that this week’s meeting will also serve to coordinate the strategy “on the movements of the coming months.”
