Russia hauls in ambassador over 'offensive' UK comments on nuclear weapons

By Mark Trevelyan

LONDON -Russia mentioned on Thursday it had summoned the British ambassador to voice a powerful protest towards “offensive” British statements, together with about alleged Russian threats to make use of nuclear weapons.

The Russian Overseas Ministry mentioned it issued the rebuke to Ambassador Deborah Bronnert over “the frankly boorish statements of the British management relating to Russia, its chief and official representatives of the authorities, in addition to the Russian folks”.

It mentioned Bronnert was handed a memorandum stating that “offensive rhetoric from representatives of the UK authorities is unacceptable. In well mannered society, it's customary to apologise for such statements.”

The ministry mentioned Russia had instructed her it objected to British statements containing “intentionally false data, specifically about alleged Russian ‘threats to make use of nuclear weapons’”.

No fast remark was accessible from Britain’s Overseas, Commonwealth and Growth Workplace.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace mentioned in a radio interview this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “small man syndrome” and Overseas Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was “like a comedy flip – she does her assertion each week threatening to nuke everybody”.

Russia’s warfare in Ukraine has wrecked its relations with most Western international locations nevertheless it usually reserves particular vitriol for Britain, which has positioned itself as a number one backer of Kyiv in each rhetorical assist and weapons provides.

In February, the Kremlin condemned what it referred to as “completely unacceptable” remarks by British Overseas Secretary Liz Truss in regards to the danger of battle between Russia and NATO after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

On Thursday, Putin cited Margaret Thatcher’s 1982 dispatch of the British navy to take again the Falkland Islands from Argentina in response to feedback by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a “good instance of poisonous masculinity” and wouldn't have occurred if Putin had been a lady.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned later that a few of Johnson’s feedback had been “monstrous”.