Moscow – (AFP)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday that relations between London and Moscow had reached their lowest level, during his meeting with his British counterpart Ben Wallace, amid the Western Russian crisis over Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, the level of our cooperation is close to zero and will soon fall below this level and turn negative, which is undesirable,” Shoigu was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. He also called on Westerners to stop sending weapons to Ukraine, of which London is one of its suppliers.
“We would also like to offer our contribution to reduce tension and end the armament of Ukraine, a process in which all parties participate in an open manner,” he added, stressing that London had also sent “special forces” to Ukraine.
Russia has deployed more than 100,000 soldiers on Ukraine’s borders, which has raised Western fears of a military operation against Kiev.
Moscow, which annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, denies preparing to invade Ukraine, but requires that in order to reduce the escalation, it responds to its security demands, foremost of which is ensuring that Kiev does not join NATO, a request rejected by the Westerners.
Intense talks in recent days have failed to make progress towards a solution to this crisis, which Westerners describe as the most serious since the end of the Cold War three decades ago. Washington and European countries announced sending thousands of soldiers to Eastern Europe.