Britain would prefer additional communication channels with Russia, Streeting says

British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting stated that the UK would prefer additional communication channels with Russia, particularly at a military-to-military level, to reduce the risk of miscalculation. His comments came as Russian and Ukrainian officials prepared for US-brokered talks, their first since February, amid the ongoing war.

British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the UK would prefer additional communication channels with Russia, particularly at a military-to-military level, to reduce the risk of miscalculation. In an interview with the Financial Times published on Tuesday, Streeting noted that the British embassy in Moscow is an important channel but expressed a desire for more direct communication. His comments came as Russian and Ukrainian officials were set to meet for two days of US-brokered talks, their first since February, after US President Donald Trump suggested a broad peace deal was possible in the 4-1/2-year-old war. Relations between Moscow and most European capitals, including London, have been frozen since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The foreign ministers of Russia and Germany met in New York in September in the first such talks since the invasion. Last week, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Russian President Vladimir Putin would not travel to a G20 summit in Britain due to UK sanctions.