Russia Says London Must Take First Step to Restore Military Contacts with Moscow

Dragon Media News Desk

Russia has said that Britain must take the first practical step if it genuinely wishes to restore military contacts with Moscow.

The Russian side made the remarks in response to a report published by The Times suggesting that Britain would like to re-establish military-level communication with Russia.

According to Moscow, it was the United Kingdom that initiated the dismantling of defence dialogue between the two countries. In May 2024, the British authorities expelled the Russian military attaché, a move that Russia says effectively disrupted the traditional channel of communication between the two defence ministries.

Russia has maintained that the justification given by Britain for the expulsion was unfounded. Moscow therefore argues that if London is now serious about restoring military contacts, the responsibility for initiating concrete steps rests with the British side.

The Russian side also said it has periodically received signals indicating Britain’s interest in resuming contacts. However, it noted that no practical measures have so far followed those signals.

Relations between Russia and the United Kingdom have remained deeply strained in recent years, particularly in the diplomatic and security spheres. Against that backdrop, any move to restore military communication would be seen as a potentially significant step toward re-establishing limited but important channels of direct contact between the two countries.