The new British government’s relations with Moscow remain at a “crisis” level, Andrey Kelin has claimed
The new Labour government in the UK is not open to meaningful dialogue with Russia and is repeating the previous, Conservative government’s negative stance, according to Moscow’s ambassador to Britain, Andrey Kelin.
In an interview with RIA Novosti on Thursday, Kelin stated that communication between Russia and the UK is currently very limited.
“Given the crisis in bilateral relations caused by the British government, our interactions with the UK authorities are mainly limited to contacts with the Foreign Office. This was the case under the Conservatives, and it continues under the Labour Party,” the envoy stated.
He noted that these contacts are infrequent and only occasionally of a political nature. Primarily, they involve the activities of the diplomatic and consular missions of Russia and Britain concerning the current global agenda, the envoy explained.
He also pointed out that British politicians who have advocated for dialogue with Russia have faced strong criticism from the UK government.
“We know the British who express sensible ideas, but there are few of them here. And, within the anti-Russian consensus that prevails in the local establishment, it is difficult for them to convey and defend their point of view…”
“Those who dare to speak from such positions are subjected to harsh criticism, denigrated in the media, and there have been attempts to compromise them,” Kelin said.
The British Labour Party won a historic parliamentary election in July, defeating the Conservatives and taking control of the nation’s government. The Tories have suffered their worst-ever election defeat, while Labour’s landslide victory brought a new party to power for the first time in 14 years.
The ambassador had stated in early June that he anticipated accusations of Moscow-linked election interference, adding that the change of government in the UK was unlikely to alter London’s policy towards Russia.