President Putin and the Kremlin should be less suspicious of Britain, the minister for Europe has told MPs.
Sir Alan Duncan was questioned by the foreign affairs select committee about Britain’s relationship with Moscow yesterday. He warned of Russian groups meddling in other countries’ elections and insisted that Britain had to be vigilant against interference.
“I think there’s no doubt that using modern technology, they are interfering in many parts of the world,” the minister said.
“I think they’d benefit from being less suspicious of us. They always seem to think that we’re up to something against their interests which, if only they understood, it is not our intention at all.”
“We also saw it in Montenegro, where there was a very serious interference, I think undeniably Russian-inspired, if I can put it that way.
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“Quite what the effect was or what exactly they did in the United States is unclear but I think there is no doubt and we just have to accept it is a fact, that cyberwarfare is now a part of modern life, and the Russians are using it as best they can in a political dimension, not just a commercial one.”
He added: “There is political interference through cyber and that is one of the threats that we have to be aware of and be on our guard and be able to defend. The world is changing — there are new threats.”
The minister also condemned the murder yesterday of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov. He described the killing as a “heinous attack”.
The diplomat was shot dead at a photography exhibition in Ankara. The gunman has been named by the Turkish authorities as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old riot policeman.
Sir Alan said that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had been in contact with the authorities in Turkey and Russia following the assassination. “We obviously fully condemn this,” he said.
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Sir Alan also reiterated Britain’s opposition to Russian support of the Assad regime in Syria, and in particular its actions in Aleppo.
“You had in some estimates 3,000 civilians killed by Russian activity,” he said. “A lot of that activity has destroyed medical facilities — at one point no working hospitals were in place in Aleppo.
“Perhaps half a million people were under siege and the Russians were blocking humanitarian aid and the ability of people to leave. Nothing really can get more severe than that.”