Boris Johnson tells Putin Russia-UK relationship 'is not the one' London wants
October 26, 2021, 4:07 am

Boris Johnson tells Putin Russia-UK relationship 'is not the one' London wants

Boris Johnson-UK

The TASS reported, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that the United Kingdom’s current relations with Russia are not the way London would like to see.

A Downing Street spokesperson said after their telephone call: "The Prime Minister was clear that the UK’s current relationship with Russia is not the one we want. He said significant bilateral difficulties remain, including the poisonings in Salisbury in 2018. The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of Ukrainian sovereignty."

The Kremlin said after the conversation that the two leaders exchanged views on the current situation in bilateral relations and "expressed a common opinion that despite the existing problems Moscow and London should establish cooperation in a number of areas."

According to the Kremlin, the sides agreed to "maintain necessary contacts on the issues touched upon during the conversation."

According to the TASS, Putin’s previous telephone conversation with Johnson took place on May 8, 2020. Back then, the sides also expressed readiness to establish dialogue and cooperate on issues on the agenda of Russian-British relations and on current international problems.

The TASS noted that Russian president and the British prime minister met in January 2020 on the sidelines of the international conference on Libya in Berlin. It was their first and only personal meeting.

Source: tass

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.