Spiraling British-Russian Diplomatic Row Could Pull in EU

Amid a growing diplomatic row that threatens to affect the European Union’s ties to Russia, Moscow said it intends to put a halt to cooperating with London on counter-terrorism and security matters.

The move, announced in Moscow by Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Gruschko on Tuesday, follows Britain’s decision to expel four Russian diplomats over Moscow’s refusal to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, suspected of murdering Kremlin critic and British citizen Alexander Litvinenko.

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“It is apparent that the (British) sanctions are aimed at politicizing the Litvinenko affair,” he added. “This is a direct path to confrontation.”

 

EU could be pulled into fight

Gruschko also said he hoped the European Union would have “enough common sense” as to not allow itself to become an instrument in the affair.

 

But the EU is likely to be pulled into any dispute between a member state and Russia, according to Luxemburg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn.

 

“Naturally we are showing our solidarity with another EU member, but you also have to have the right to question certain steps,” Asselborn told Financial Times Deutschland, adding that he wondered if the dispute could have been settled using “silent, diplomatic channels.”

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave her support to Brown’s decision to expel the Russians, who are rumored to be part of the embassy’s intelligence unit.

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The French Foreign Ministry allow issued a statement Tuesday calling for Moscow to “constructively answer the British request.”

 

(DW; Image: AP)

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