VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Russia said on Tuesday it would announce a new ambassador to Britain in due course, weeks after its previous envoy left London at a dire point in bilateral ties.
The departure of Andrei Kelin in July, after more than seven years in the post, prompted British media speculation – denied by the embassy – that Moscow was downgrading its diplomatic relations with Britain because of London’s role as one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters .
In a further escalation of tensions, Moscow warned last week that it could strike British military targets in response to Ukraine’s use of long-range British cruise missiles to attack Russia.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on August 27 that Britain was just one step away from complicity in what she called “terrorism” against Russian civilians and warned of “inevitable catastrophic consequences” unless London changed course.
On Tuesday, however, Zakharova told a Reuters reporter who asked whether there were plans to replace Kelin as ambassador to “calm down”. She said the naming of a new ambassador was the prerogative of President Vladimir Putin and the procedure for the appointment was not a public matter. An announcement would be made at the appropriate moment, she added.
Zakharova said Kelin had served through an extremely difficult period in the face of UK involvement in “terrorist acts” and “monstrous extremist activity”, and what she called British efforts to completely dismantle bilateral relations. Britain says it stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine and is committed to providing Kyiv with the military equipment it needs regardless of Russian complaints.
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Dmitry Antonov, writing by Mark TrevelyanEditing by Andrew Osborn )
