Britain is considering serious measures against Russia – which analysts suggested could include expelling diplomats – in response to its refusal to extradite the chief suspect in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, the former KGB officer. ִ3
The foreign office is expected to announce a tough response as early as next week after Moscow formally confirmed this week that it would not hand over Andrei Lugovoi, another former secret policeman, for trial in Britain. ִ6
Russia warned on Wednesday that cooperation with the UK should not be made a “hostage” of the extradition dispute. It added it was “extremely surprised” by Britain’s criticisms when it was simply complying with its own constitution, which bars extradition of its nationals.
Downing Street warned on Tuesday that the UK would review cooperation with Russia and was “extremely disappointed” with Russia’s response. The foreign office has refused to confirm what steps it is considering. ִ8
“The government is looking at a range of options. There is a process going on at the moment in which those options are being examined. But you can expect something to be announced to parliament very soon,” one Whitehall insider said. ִ6
Analysts said a return to the Cold War tactic of diplomatic expulsions was one option likely to be being considered, alongside visa bans on certain law and order officials, or withdrawing cooperation in areas such as education, social affairs or counter-terrorism information. ִ4
But the UK needs to calibrate its response carefully, given the importance of cooperation with Russia on issues such as Iran’s nuclear programme and the future of the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo. Any UK actions can also be expected to trigger retaliatory responses from Russia.
Western officials said options were still under consideration but they included “quite serious measures”. ִ8
In Moscow, Mikhail Kamynin, the Russian foreign ministry spokesman, said in televised comments that in the 1990s the west had “persistently called on Russia to build a state functioning according to the law”. ִ1
“We start from the fact that active relations between states in the broadest range of areas cannot become a hostage to the extradition or non-extradition of a citizen,” he added.
ִ1
He repeated Russia’s offer to consider its own trial of Mr Lugovoi “if concrete evidence and facts showing his guilt are provided”.
“However, no such information has come to us,” he added. ִ9
Allowing Russia to try Mr Lugovoi could have defused the diplomatic dispute. But a spokesman for Gordon Brown, UK prime minister, said on Tuesday that Britain could not be confident a Russian trial would “meet the standards of impartiality and fairness that we would deem necessary”. ִ9
Mr Lugovoi himself told Russian news agencies on Wednesday that Britain’s focus on persuading Russia to extradite him showed it was not interested in finding the true killer. He added he did not have confidence in British justice. ִ6
The former KGB officer turned businessman has repeatedly protested his innocence, though he admits meeting Litvinenko last November on the day the outspoken Kremlin critic fell ill from poisoning by radioactive polonium-210. ִ1