Theresa May should beware Putin: he doesn’t do ‘cooperation’ Luke Harding

Analytics 13:50 11.08.2016

Theresa May, as prime minister, had her first conversation with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. Meanwhile, UK defence chiefs have been muttering thatRussian troops could outgun the British army; and over in the Olympic pool US swimmers were taunting their Russian rivals on their doping record.

According to the Kremlin, the May-Putin chat went well. “Both sides expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of cooperation,” it said. Downing Street seemingly agreed. British and Russian citizens “face common threats from terrorism”, it stated. May and Putin will now meet next month at the G20 summit in China.

All the signs suggest that May is willing to try to “reset” relations with Moscow, a policy pursued – without any palpable results – by her predecessor, David Cameron. For nearly a decade relations between Russia and the UK have been frosty, ever since the murder in November 2006 of the dissident and Putin criticAlexander Litvinenko.

One of Gordon Brown’s early acts as prime minister was to expel four Russian diplomats from London, in protest at Putin’s refusal to extradite the two men,Dmitry Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi, who slipped radioactive polonium into Litvinenko’s tea. Brown refused to meet Putin. The government’s private view was that this was a Russian state plot.

In 2010, however, Cameron signalled a fresh approach and indicated that the Litvinenko affair could be “negotiated” around. Cameron’s foreign policy priority was mercantilist: to sell stuff to foreigners. As part of his reset, Cameron invited Putin to watch the judo with him at the 2012 London Olympics. It was agruesome moment, with the two sitting awkwardly as contestants rolled around a yellow mat.

May’s own record on Russia shows the same depressingly accommodationist instincts. As home secretary, she turned down a request by Litvinenko’s widow, Marina, to hold a public inquiry into her husband’s death. She admitted that “international relations” were a factor in her decision – in other words, it might annoy Putin.

This was shameful stuff. As Marina Litvinenko put it: “As one woman to another, I ask her [May] to consider how she would feel in my position. If her husband had been murdered in this horrible way, wouldn’t she want to get to the truth?” The high court overturned May’s ruling, and a public inquiry opened last year. Theevidence presented to a retired judge, Robert Owen, was sensational. The two assassins brought polonium to London several times, we learned, only poisoning their target on the third attempt. They left an extraordinary radioactive trail: in their hotel rooms (they chucked the polonium down the U-bend), restaurants and a gentleman’s nightclub in Jermyn Street.

Owen’s report in January went further than anyone had imagined. Based in part on secret UK intelligence reports, it concluded that Putin had “probably approved” Litvinenko’s murder, together with his spy chief, Nikolai Patrushev (then head of the FSB, the successor to the KGB). Afterwards, May met with Marina but politely declined her request to ban from the UK those involved in the murder, including Putin.

Russia’s president, then, is “probably” a murderer, who wipes out his personal enemies in spectacularly vindictive fashion. Putin’s critics at home have an uncanny habit of ending up dead. What made the Litvinenko case unusual was its target (a British citizen) and its location outside Russia (which meant an evidence-led Scotland Yard investigation).

As May knows perfectly well, there are many forms of terrorism, including the state variety. According to Downing Street she and Putin agreed that “cooperation on aviation security in particular was a vital part of the international counter-terrorism effort”. She seems to forget that Litvinenko’s killers flew from Moscow with British Airways; polonium was discovered on Lugovoi’s seat, 23D.

And what of Malaysian Airlines MH17, shot down two years ago over eastern Ukraine? According to Dutch investigators, pro-Russian rebels – or Russian soldiers – downed the jet by mistake, using a Buk missile system smuggled across the Russian border. Ten British citizens were killed. Their families are demanding justice.

Putin views western leaders such as May as weak and ephemeral. He’s not greatly interested in notions of “cooperation”. Rather he has a concrete goal: to end EU sanctions against Russia, imposed after his 2014 annexation of Crimea. Meanwhile, Russian troop buildups in Crimea this week have raised fears of further military moves against Ukraine.

Brexit opens up new political possibilities for Moscow, and badly undermines European unity at a time of multiple global crises. May needs to emulate another leader to whom she’s superficially compared: Angela Merkel. The chancellor grew up in East Germany, speaks Russian, and understands Putin’s dark KGB world-view perfectly.

Azerbaijan takes measures to turn Khankandi into safe city - VİDEO

News line

Oil prices end 1Q24 with strong growth
10:30 29.03.2024
SECRETS of the European Union's visit to the South Caucasus - Fikret Sadigov EXPLAINS
10:25 29.03.2024
Israeli strikes on Syria kill dozens, security sources say
10:20 29.03.2024
Ammunition found in Khankandi
Ammunition found in Khankandi
10:10 29.03.2024
Iran’s top diplomat: Military presence of third countries in Caspian Sea goes against interests of region
Iran’s top diplomat: Military presence of third countries in Caspian Sea goes against interests of region
10:00 29.03.2024
Armenia officially announces freezing its participation in CSTO
09:50 29.03.2024
US hopes to return to purchase of 72 fighter jets per year amid budget cuts
09:38 29.03.2024
Another 138 IDPs leave for Fuzuli
09:28 29.03.2024
Netanyahu: "We have strategic assets of Hamas"
09:17 29.03.2024
Date of next meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani Parliament Speakers announced
09:00 29.03.2024
Russia prepares for new offensive in May-June l – says Zelensky
23:52 28.03.2024
Russian investigators have evidence of Ukraine link to Crocus terrorists
22:24 28.03.2024
Committee members of the EU Council will visit the South Caucasus region
19:48 28.03.2024
Bayern to pay Thomas Tuchel 12M euro compensation
Bayern to pay Thomas Tuchel 12M euro compensation
19:00 28.03.2024
Crocus City Hall terrorists took drugs before attack - law enforcement agencies
Crocus City Hall terrorists took drugs before attack - law enforcement agencies
18:33 28.03.2024
Azerbaijan, UN Development Program mull future co-op
18:00 28.03.2024
An Independent Trade Union Established within International Eurasia Press Fund - First in NGO sector - PHOTOS
17:39 28.03.2024
Italian PM condemns Macron for idea of sending troops to Ukraine
Italian PM condemns Macron for idea of sending troops to Ukraine
17:23 28.03.2024
Azerbaijan lends clarity to color requirement for taxis
17:02 28.03.2024
Isaac Herzog: Israel has no greater friend than US, and US has no greater friend than Israel
Isaac Herzog: Israel has no greater friend than US, and US has no greater friend than Israel
16:45 28.03.2024
Nigerian army eliminates over 200 militants in 2 weeks
16:30 28.03.2024
Armored Vehicle Coalition for Ukraine launched in Poland
Armored Vehicle Coalition for Ukraine launched in Poland
16:15 28.03.2024
Russia strengthens transport security measures after terror attack at Crocus City Hall
Russia strengthens transport security measures after terror attack at Crocus City Hall
15:55 28.03.2024
Türkiye plays an important role between Russia and Ukraine - says political scientist Ismail Cingoz
15:45 28.03.2024
2 schoolchildren detained in France on suspicion of sending bomb threats
15:35 28.03.2024
Ski resort in Georgia hit by avalanche
Ski resort in Georgia hit by avalanche
15:26 28.03.2024
Another protest against French colonialism held in New Caledonia, Azerbaijani flag raised
Another protest against French colonialism held in New Caledonia, Azerbaijani flag raised
15:15 28.03.2024
Media: US did not transfer all information about terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall to Russia
15:00 28.03.2024
Movement ‘Together’ calls on Armenia’s parliamentary forces to express vote of no confidence in Pashinyan
14:41 28.03.2024
Azerbaijan to participate in international trade fair in Istanbul
Azerbaijan to participate in international trade fair in Istanbul
14:32 28.03.2024
Le Pen accuses French government of fraud
14:22 28.03.2024
Armenian Government Grapples with Internal Division on Village Return Issue - Ishkhan Verdiyan talks on Ednews
14:12 28.03.2024
Ammunition found along route of Crocus City Hall terrorists
Ammunition found along route of Crocus City Hall terrorists
13:41 28.03.2024
Expert Ilyas Huseynov Predicts Peaceful Return of these territories to Azerbaijan
13:20 28.03.2024
Azerbaijan weather forecast for March 29
Azerbaijan weather forecast for March 29
12:55 28.03.2024
Russian MFA concerned about upcoming Armenia-US-EU meeting
12:23 28.03.2024
Secret Points of Pashinyan's Meeting with French Representative: Is Peace Agreement Signing Imminent?
12:00 28.03.2024
Armenia announces recruitment of border guards to work at Zvartnots
Armenia announces recruitment of border guards to work at Zvartnots
11:47 28.03.2024
The US-Armenia-EU Joint Conference is a part of the pressure plan on Azerbaijan - MP Konul Nurullayeva
11:30 28.03.2024
Azerbaijan’s central bank reduces discount rate
Azerbaijan’s central bank reduces discount rate
11:23 28.03.2024
Hamısı