The UK wants to restore military contacts with Moscow
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on AIB
British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting considers it necessary to restore direct military channels with Russia to avoid miscalculations that could lead to escalation. High-level military contacts have been almost entirely suspended since 2022, according to the Financial Times, cited by AIB.
British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting is calling for direct military communication channels with Russia to be restored, to avoid an escalation caused by a misjudgement, according to the Financial Times, which interviewed him.
In the interview, the minister said: "We have an embassy in Moscow. It is an important channel. I would prefer there to be other channels, particularly at military level." High-level military contacts between London and Moscow have been almost entirely suspended since 2022. According to the newspaper, no direct exchange has taken place since then between the defence ministers or the serving chiefs of staff of the two countries, and several British attempts to re-establish contact reportedly went unanswered.
A government source cited by the Financial Times now considers an unintended misjudgement more dangerous than a deliberate escalation. On the Russian side, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in May that "the Russians are ready to talk". In June, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that British and French representatives had visited Moscow.
