Russia summons UK, French envoys over 'provocative' Cameron remarks
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Russia's Foreign Ministry warns the UK against possible retaliation if it assists Ukraine in attacks on Russia.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky left, shakes hands with Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 2, 2024. (AP)
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the United Kingdom Ambassador Nigel Casey over UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron's remarks on Ukraine's right to use UK-supplied weapons against Russia.
"On May 6,… Casey was summoned to the Russian Foreign Office to receive a strong protest over the recent statement by UK Secretary David Cameron," the Ministry stated.
Casey was informed that the Russian side considers Cameron's words strong evidence of a serious escalation against Russia and confirms Britain's increasing involvement in military action on Kiev's side, the statement explained.
Moreover, the ambassador received a warning that Russia could respond to Ukrainian attacks inside Russia, using UK-supplied weapons, by targeting "any UK military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and beyond."
"It has been firmly pointed out to Nigel Casey that David Cameron's hostile verbal attack directly contradicts earlier assurances by the British side when handing over long-range cruise missiles to the Kiev regime that they would not be used on Russian territory under any circumstances," the Ministry said.
The Ministry, therefore, called on Casey to deny Cameron's remarks.
In a similar vein, Russia also summoned France's ambassador to denounce the country's "provocative" policies, following President Emmanuel Macron's comments that Western troops could be sent to Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said.
The envoy was summoned after "increasingly belligerent statements" by Paris, it said in a statement.
"The Russian side presented its assessment that Paris's destructive and provocative line is leading to an escalation of the conflict".
Read more: 6,000 meetings exposed; bug makes German confidential links public
German leaks reveal intentions of the West
A recording of German service people dating back to February 19, was leaked in early March, revealing Germany and the United Kingdom's intentions to participate in aggressive actions against Russia.
Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Russia Today (RT) and the Rossiya Segodnya media group broadcasted the leaked conversation between four German military officers. Officers were discussing a potential attack on the Crimean Bridge using long-range Taurus missiles, a weapon that the German Parliament previously voted not to supply to Kiev. Interestingly, the way the plan was being discussed insinuated that it had already been agreed upon.
The leak further detailed how British forces collaborated with Ukraine on deploying Storm Shadow missiles against targets up to 150 miles behind Russian lines.
"When it comes to mission planning," Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, the head of the German Air Force Luftwaffe says in the leaks, "I know how the English do it, they do it completely in reachback. They also have a few people on the ground, they do that, the French don’t."
"Reachback" is a military concept that denotes the transfer of intelligence, equipment, and support from rear areas to units stationed at the front. Gerhartz suggests that the British strategy goes beyond this to include on-site support.
More importantly, Cameron's recent remarks come amid increased talks of potential NATO involvement in Ukraine, which would put, for the first time, Western countries in direct confrontation with Russia, marking an extremely dangerous move, that could force the world into a major war.
Read more: US, UK involved in Ukraine's missile attack on Sevastopol: Moscow
