Russia on Friday accused six British diplomats of spying and said it decided to expel them. The U.K. said the âcompletely baselessâ move came weeks ago and was linked to its action in May to revoke the credentials of an attaché at the Russian Embassy and limit Moscowâs diplomatic activities in London.
The latest East-West tensions unfolded as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Washington for talks that will include Ukraineâs request to use Western-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia. President Vladimir Putin has warned that Kyivâs use of long-range weapons would put NATO at war with Moscow.
Russiaâs Federal Security Service said in an online statement that the Foreign Ministry withdrew the British envoys' accreditations, and Russian TV quoted an FSB official as saying it was decided to expel them.
The FSB said it received documents indicating the diplomats were sent to Russia by a division of the U.K.'s Foreign Office âwhose main task is to inflict a strategic defeat on our country,â and that they were involved in âintelligence-gathering and subversive activities.â It did not identify the six diplomats.
The FSB warned that if other diplomats are found to be carrying out âsimilar actions,â it âwill demand early termination of their missionsâ to Russia.
Russian TV said the six diplomats had met with independent media and rights groups that have been declared âforeign agentsâ â a label Russian authorities have actively used against organizations and individuals critical of the Kremlin.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement that the diplomats were carrying out âsubversive actions aimed at causing harm to our people.â
âWe fully agree with the assessments of the activities of the British so-called diplomats expressed by the Russian FSB," she added in an online statement. "The British Embassy has gone far beyond the limits outlined by the Vienna Conventions.â
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said breaking off diplomatic relations with the U.K. was not on the table right now.
In calling the Russian allegations "completely baseless,â the U.K. Foreign Office said the expulsions happened weeks ago, linking them to Britainâs decision in May to revoke the credentials of an attaché at Moscowâs London embassy and to impose a five-year time limit on all Russian diplomats in Britain.
âThe Russian authorities revoked the diplomatic accreditation of six U.K. diplomats in Russia last month, following action taken by the U.K. government in response to Russian state-directed activity across Europe and in the U.K.,â the Foreign Office said in a statement. âWe are unapologetic about ng our national interests.â
In May, the U.K. expelled Russiaâs defense attaché in London, alleging he was an undeclared intelligence officer, and it closed several Russian diplomatic properties in Britain that it said were being used for spying. About a week later, Russia reciprocated and expelled Britainâs defense attaché.
Expulsions of diplomats â both Western envoys working in Russia and Russians in the West â have become increasingly common since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Last year, the Russian news outlet RBC counted that Western countries and Japan expelled a total 670 Russian diplomats between the start of 2022 and October 2023, while Moscow responded by expelling 346 diplomats. According to RBC, that was more than in the previous 20 years combined.
On his way to visit the U.S., Starmer said Britain does not âseek any conflict with Russia.â
âRussia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia could end this conflict straight away,â he told reporters.
âUkraine has the right to self-defense and weâve obviously been absolutely fully supportive of Ukraineâs right to self-defense â weâre providing training capability, as you know. But we donât seek any conflict with Russia â thatâs not our intention in the slightest,â he said.
Ukraine wants approval to use some weapons to strike deeper into Russia and there are signs that U.S. President Joe Biden might shift American policy in response.
While the issue is expected to be at the top of the agenda for their meeting, it appeared unlikely that Biden and Starmer would announce any policy changes at this time, according to two U.S. officials familiar with planning for the talks. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the private deliberations.
Ukrainian officials renewed their pleas to use Western-provided long-range missiles against targets deeper inside Russia during this weekâs visit to Kyiv by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Blinken said he had âno doubtâ that Biden and Starmer would discuss the matter during their visit, noting the U.S. has adapted and âwill adjust as necessaryâ as Russiaâs battlefield strategy has changed.
Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia, and Lawless reported from London. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.