Russian Ambassador to Great Britain Andrei Kelin believes that relations between Moscow and London have reached “zero bottom”, from which they have to build on.
According to the diplomat, the provocation with the British destroyer Defender could escalate into a military conflict.
“Of course, during the Cold War, relations were much worse. But now we can qualify that … this is the zero bottom, from which we have to make a start”, – said Kelin on the air of the YouTube channel.
Relations between Moscow and London have reached “zero bottom” – Russian Ambassador to Great BritainKelin stressed that the very mechanism for adopting decisions in the naval sphere is unfamiliar to him, so for now there is no need to rush to conclusions. However, if everything is as they say in the newspapers, if the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson personally participated in the provocation, then this is “very serious”.
The diplomat clarified that although relations were much worse during the Cold War, now “we will not focus on this.” You must first understand the nature of this incident. The Russian ambassador is scheduled to meet with the British side, with persons responsible for foreign policy and security issues. And, as the diplomat noted, if before that London itself had initiated a dialogue with Moscow, then the invasion of the destroyer is, of course, a failure
“I still hope to clarify this matter together with them and say quite clearly that it is either a political dialogue or a provocation”, – the Russian diplomat summed up.