Russian Envoy To UK Says Diplomatic Ties With Britain "Nearly Dead"

Andrei Kelin also criticised Britain's decision to bolster its nuclear stockpile, arguing the reversal of decades of policy was a violation of various international agreements.

Russia's ambassador to Britain said Sunday that diplomatic ties between the two countries were "nearly dead", after a UK strategic review this week branded Moscow an "acute direct threat". Andrei Kelin also criticised Britain's decision to bolster its nuclear stockpile, arguing the reversal of decades of policy was a violation of various international agreements. Britain unveiled Tuesday one of the biggest overhauls of security, defence and foreign policy since the Cold War era, which concluded Russia would continue to pose a "full spectrum of threats". The so-called Integrated Review, crafted over the past year as London recalibrates its post-Brexit foreign policy, also made the surprise announcement to increase the country's nuclear warheads to 260 by 2030.