The Russian ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, has rejected calls from the family of Dawn Sturgess, who died in the Salisbury poisonings, to have Vladimir Putin speak to the inquiry into her death. Speaking in a sit-down interview that will broadcast on Sunday, Kelin questioned the need for an inquiry and said he did not believe Putin would go to Britain just to testify. The UK government has held Russia and two Russian agents responsible for Sturgess’s death. Kelin also dismissed suggestions that the agents, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, attend the inquiry.
On Ukraine, Kelin accused the UK of “waging war” on Russia by supporting the country with weapons and resources. He questioned Ukraine’s desire for peace, given its requests for assistance and defence packages, and claimed that President Zelensky does not want peace. Kelin said that anything other than negotiations would lead to the permanent loss of Ukrainian territory. Keir Starmer has reiterated the UK’s support for Ukraine.
Kelin was also challenged on Russia’s reliance on pariah states such as North Korea and Iran and on the American election. He said that the winner would not make a difference and accused the West of anti-Russian sentiment. Kelin claimed that Russia had changed its nuclear doctrine in light of conversations among Western allies about supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles for use against Russia.
The Salisbury attacks were a “huge tipping point” in the relationship between the two countries, said a senior figure involved in the UK government response. In response to the attacks, the UK pushed for the expulsion of Russian diplomats and spies from over 20 Western allies. The UK government now views Russia as the biggest threat to the country’s security, and has been at the forefront of backing Ukraine since its invasion in 2022. The UK has sent billions of pounds worth of weapons and resources to Ukraine to support its effort
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