Six British diplomats have been expelled from Russia over allegations of spying, the FSB security service announced on Friday.
This comes ahead of talks regarding the war in Ukraine between US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
As part of a growing tit-for-tat diplomatic spat, Russia had revoked the accreditation of six British officials in early August, according to Britain, which called the charges “completely baseless.”
UK officials claimed the timing of the FSB announcement was clearly intended to put pressure on Starmer, who wants Ukraine to be able to use Western-supplied long-range missiles against Russian targets.
The topic will be at the top of the agenda at White House meetings between Biden and Starmer later on Friday, with the US still considering the consequences of what Moscow sees as a significant escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.
Starmer and Biden are expected to be in New York at the same time along with other western allies and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Moscow’s expulsion of the diplomats is seen in London as part of an attempt by Putin to intimidate the west.
The FSB claimed it had documents showing that the UK Foreign Office department responsible for eastern Europe and central Asia was involved in the “co-ordination of the escalation of the international military-political situation” aimed at the “strategic defeat” of Russia.
The accreditation of the diplomats whose actions showed “signs of reconnaissance and subversive work” is to be revoked, the FSB said.
Zelenskyy has been lobbying western allies for permission to use the Army Tactical Missile System and Storm Shadow cruise missiles on targets inside Russia.
The UK was the first country to send long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine and has long taken a more permissive approach to how the weapons it supplies are deployed.
The British officials expelled by Moscow have already been replaced.
London believes Russia has engaged in “malign” actions in the UK, and in May imposed a five-year ban on Russian diplomats in the country.
According to British sources, a number of Russian diplomats have left the country’s embassy in London.
