Friday 19 March 2021
UK Labels Russia “Most Acute Threat’ to its Security
Keywords: Arms control, China, Russia, UK, USA
6 forum postsMOSCOW (Izvestia) — On March 16, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson published the 2021 Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, which branded Russia “the most acute threat to [the UK’s] security.” In the same document, London outlined its plans to expand its nuclear arsenal for the first time since the end of the Cold War.
Experts quizzed by Izvestia think that such a step will only exacerbate the crisis in the sphere of arms control.
The UK considers Russia (14 mentions) and China (27 mentions) its systemic competitors, however, while London aims to maintain favourable trade and investment relations with China, Moscow remains “the most acute threat” to British security, the review says. The UK seeks to work with its NATO allies to ensure a united response by the West to Russia’s actions, combining military, intelligence and diplomatic activity.
“The steps outlined in the review will enable the UK to pursue a foreign policy offensive that will be justified by the need to defend itself against Russia”, Russian Senator Konstantin Kosachev told Izvestia. “We have built our foreign policy on the fact that for a long time we’ve had neither friends nor partners in the West. We do not encroach on the national interests of Great Britain or other countries, but we won’t allow them to infringe upon our own national interests. Meanwhile, the British doctrine tries to box in other countries, and even though the UK has full freedom to manoeuvre, the others get only permissible freedom.”
The UK will move closer to the U.S. since it is its traditional economic, political and cultural ally, David Lane, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (UK), Emeritus Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, and an expert with the Valdai Discussion Club, told Izvestia. The shift in British military policy towards the Far East correlates with the trends of Washington’s policy on China, which the U.S. sees as a threat to its hegemony, the expert said. On the whole, it can be expected that the UK will take a tougher stance on Russia and China, he added.
Odin (21 March 2021, 14:47)
This is in line with BREXIT. If the British wanted to leave the EU, it is for a good reason: to become a great power again, as before the war. They still have a mighty navy, especially if we include those of Canada and Australia, but they need the nuclear firepower of a superpower. The Pacific and the Indian Ocean will be at stake.
Nicolas de Strasbourg (21 March 2021, 15:12)
Britain will never become a superpower again. They’ll ruin themselves with these silly ambitions. They would have better stayed in Europe to make it a superpower.
Юрий (21 March 2021, 19:56)
To become a superpower, it is not enough to have super weapons, you must also have a super people. The Brits are not what they used to be, just look at the Queen’s drama. Britain is a joke, the rest of the empire is going to break up. Australia and Canada are anyway invaded by Chinese.
Banned from Facebook (21 March 2021, 23:01)
I regret falling in love with my British girlfriend.
You give your heart to her and she Brexit into a million parts.
Epic Dustin (21 March 2021, 23:45)
In less than fifteen years a Paki will be Britain’s Emir.
F. Hamilton (22 March 2021, 00:01)
to Nicolas:
The EU is a model for an anti-democratic global government. Its purpose is to destroy the nation state and to transform Europe from a rich and diverse continent of sovereign nations into a single homogenous political bloc governed by a committee of unelected bureaucrats who think they know best. And they thought we’re so docile and thick that we’ll just roll over and accept it if they keep telling us how sensible it is.