Anglo-Russo diplomatic breakdown
Matthew:
May 23rd, 2007
A diplomatic stalemate is on the cards after Russia flatly refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, whom the Crown Prosecution services wishes to put on trial for the murder of former Russian spy Alexander Litvenenko. The request comes after a six month police investigation into the murder, which took detectives around the world following a trail of radiation left by the poisonous radioactive substance that was used to kill Mr Litvinenko, Polonium 210.
The prospects for the two powers coming to agreement look gloomy, as both camps used uncompromising language which doesn’t leave much in the way of middle ground to achieve a solution. Sir Ken Macdonald, Chief Prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service said “I have concluded that the evidence is sufficient to charge Andrei Lugovoi with the murder of Mr Litvinenko by deliberate poisoning. I have instructed CPS lawyers to take immediate steps to seek the early extradition of Andrei Lugovoi… so that he may be charged with murder and be brought swiftly before a court in London to be prosecuted for this extraordinarily grave crime.” This statement was backed forcefully by Downing Street and the government. A spokesman for the Kremlin stated that the Russian constitution does not permit Russian nationals to be transported to foreign soil to face prosecution; the foreign state must present the evidence to a Russian court, where the trial will be carried out. If this were to happen in this case, it is likely that the prosecution would struggle to gain any ground, because of the potential implications for the involvement of the state of the murder.
This marks a significant low point for relations between Britain and Russia, which are possibly at their most hostile since the end of the Cold War. Russia has been gradually hardening its foreign policy stance towards the West over the past months. It recently revoked the ‘Weapons in Europe’ treaty after Condoleeza Rice insisted that US anti-missile systems would be deployed in ex Warsaw pact countries Poland and Czech Republic. Although this treaty is now practically moot as it was put in place essentially to control Soviet tank divisions in Europe, it is a worrying symbolic gesture. It has also kicked European oil giant Royal Dutch Shell out of an oilfield in Sakhalin and replaced it with a state-owned company, and is threatening BP with similar moves. Russia is increasingly willing to use its energy reserves as political leverage against states it has disputes with. This strengthens the argument for moving Britain’s dependency away from oil and gas (of which Russia is a vital supplier) and towards a mix of Nuclear and alternative sources.