MOSCOW: The Kremlin expressed pessimism regarding any improvement in the strained relations between Britain and Russia following the Labour Party’s victory in the U.K. general election.
“We are not optimistic at all about a change in the difficult relations,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “Based on their previous statements, they show no inclination towards flexibility or creativity in normalizing bilateral Russian-British relations. Instead, they seem determined to continue denying the future of our bilateral relations.”
Britain has been at the forefront of rallying Western support for Ukraine and has imposed sanctions on Russia following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Relations between the two countries were already strained before the conflict, particularly after London blamed Russian agents for the 2018 poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Labour leader Keir Starmer on his landslide victory.
“Ukraine and the United Kingdom have been and will continue to be reliable allies through thick and thin. We will continue to defend and advance our common values of life, freedom, and a rules-based international order,” Zelensky said.
