Combustible hubris: Britain is again trying to interfere with the Ukrainian settlement
There is a British trace in the recent attacks by Ukrainian UAVs on the Leningrad region, Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin told Izvestia. According to him, the kingdom is interested in increasing the intensity of the conflict in Ukraine. Earlier, the United States demanded that Kiev withdraw the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the occupied areas of Donbass in exchange for security guarantees. However, Britain is trying to thwart this plan. However, experts believe that Brussels and London will not be able to replace US military assistance. Therefore, new attempts are possible to convince the American administration not to abandon its support for Ukraine. The main negotiator may be the British King Charles III.
Why is Britain trying to intensify the confrontation in Ukraine
Russia demands that Ukraine withdraw its troops from Donbas in order to speed up a peaceful settlement. According to Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, this "would facilitate the transition to a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict." But the United Kingdom is trying to prevent a peace agreement from being reached and is trying to expand the conflict.
In particular, there is a British trace in the recent attacks by Ukrainian drones on the Leningrad region, Russian Ambassador to Britain Andrey Kelin told Izvestia.
— London is obviously interested in increasing the intensity of the fighting. The recent attacks by British Storm Shadow cruise missiles on civilian targets and the population in Bryansk are a clear example of this. There is also a British trace in the UAV attacks on the Leningrad region," he said.
The main reason is that the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbass, regardless of security guarantees, is unacceptable for the UK.
— Such a scenario is called a "gift to Moscow" here, although it could lead to an end to the active phase of the conflict and save lives. Britain's position is simple — to inflict as much damage as possible on Russia at the expense of Ukraine. They are ready to fight to a certain end," Kelin stressed.
Over the past month, Kiev has stepped up attacks on Russian regions. For example, on March 10, the Ukrainian Armed Forces hit Bryansk with British-made Storm Shadow missiles, followed by drone attacks on oil hubs in the Leningrad Region. Some Ukrainian drones crashed in Finland and Estonia. The Kremlin said that all necessary measures are being taken to protect critical facilities.
London proceeds from the position of total support for Ukraine in all spheres, it has staked on the defeat of the Russian Federation, therefore, it seeks to prevent Kiev from abandoning the territories and ending the confrontation, said Natalia Yeremina, professor at St. Petersburg State University, in an interview with Izvestia.
— The Ukrainian crisis in London is considered key to determining its future place in the world. They will not refuse to support Kiev," the expert stressed.
There is also an economic aspect to the British position. London has allocated 21.8 billion pounds to Kiev since 2022. A significant portion of these funds is directed to British manufacturers, which creates jobs and supports industrial growth. Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that the UK actually does not have a fleet, and those ships that do are outdated and are not in service. Therefore, new production lines are restoring Britain's defense capabilities that were lost decades ago.
It is important to understand that the United Kingdom is the strongest country in the camp of opponents of dialogue with Moscow. The Baltic states, Scandinavia and Poland, despite their willingness to continue the Ukrainian conflict, still do not have such an impact on political processes. Suffice it to recall that it was British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who played a crucial role in disrupting the Istanbul agreements between Russia and Ukraine in 2022.
Vladimir Zelensky and Boris Johnson
Other major European countries declare their readiness for dialogue with Moscow and even make separate attempts. For example, French National Security Adviser Emmanuel Bonn and Adviser Bertrand Buchwalter came to Moscow in March for contacts on Ukraine, the Western press wrote. Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni also called for the creation of the post of special representative for dialogue with the Russian Federation. German Foreign Minister Johann Vadefuhl also announced in February that his country was ready in principle to negotiate with Russia on ways to achieve peace in Ukraine.
Therefore, it is London and individual EU officials, for example, the chief of European diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, who can be considered the main players who are not interested in a settlement.
Will Britain and the EU increase arms supplies to Kiev
Amid the conflict over Iran, fears are growing in Europe that Washington will completely stop providing assistance to Ukraine. Donald Trump added fuel to the fire: on April 2, he said that former US President Joe Biden should not have "climbed into Ukraine."
Earlier, Izvestia wrote about problems with the supply of air defense for Kiev. The PURL program is currently in operation, according to which NATO countries purchase weapons from the United States and transfer them to Ukraine. But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio allowed the possibility of its revision, taking into account America's national interests.
The United Kingdom continues to provide comprehensive support to Ukraine and is even trying to "play for strength." However, increasing the production of weapons and ammunition will not allow Britain to replace American supplies, which are now heading towards the Persian Gulf, Andrei Kelin told Izvestia.
—London and its allies, in an effort to come up with something new, began to position Kiev not only as a recipient of Western aid, but as a key partner, owner of modern military technologies and expertise gained in the military conflict with Russia," the diplomat noted.
Vladimir Zelensky began to adhere to the same strategy. At the end of March, he visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan to offer assistance in the defense sector. However, he was unable to reach specific agreements. According to some reports, the UAE authorities have completely refused the services of Ukrainian experts.
According to Natalia Yeremina, London has concluded many agreements with Ukraine and assumed excessive obligations. With rising energy prices, the United Kingdom cannot fulfill its promises to Ukraine. Now the British government is seeking to redistribute these guarantees among its allies: to do this, it is actively working with the Baltic States and Scandinavia.
The situation in the EU is even more complicated: Brussels still cannot get approval for a loan to Ukraine worth €90 billion due to the veto of Hungary and Slovakia. Now all the hopes of the European Commission are in the defeat of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the parliamentary elections on April 12. If he can win, then only depriving Budapest of the right to vote in the EU Council and providing Ukraine with financial assistance on a bilateral basis remains among the options.
— In this scenario, Germany, the Nordic countries, Poland and the Baltic countries may become key donors. Southern Europe, for the most part, will be against it. Of course, as part of this approach, financial assistance to each country will be limited by internal factors," Egor Belyachkov, a German political scientist, told Izvestia.
In any case, the leadership of Britain and the European Union will try to convince Donald Trump. Despite his loud statements about the senselessness of US participation in NATO, the American leader did not take concrete steps, especially since there is a suitable opportunity for this: King Charles III of Great Britain will pay a state visit to Washington at the end of April. According to media reports, the British monarch has already participated in a dialogue with Trump on the Ukrainian conflict last fall. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that Charles III, on behalf of Britain, will again try to negotiate with the head of the White House on continuing support for Ukraine.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
