British Defense Secretary Wallace: Salisbury poisoning incident must be resolved
Photo: Peter Nicholls / Reuters
London and Moscow still hold different positions on a number of issues, including the poisoning incident of former GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, Britain in 2018. This was pointed out by British Defense Minister Ben Wallace following talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Interfax reports.
Wallace stressed that the said incident must be resolved. At the same time, he said that he was counting on the continuation of the dialogue between the British and Russian military leadership. “Having a line of communication is much better than zero percent,” the minister concluded.
The head of the British department noted that the meeting of the Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom with Minister Shoigu took place for the first time since 2014. “I think this is the beginning of this process, to understand each other's concerns,” he added.
Wallace said earlier that NATO is committed to honoring all agreements signed with Russia and will strive to maintain an equal and strong relationship. He also refuted the desire of the North Atlantic Alliance to “divide and rule” over the Russian side.
In March 2018, former GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on Salisbury Street. In London, they said they were poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent. The British side considers the Russian leadership involved in what happened. Moscow denies the allegations.
