Britain urges US, Europe to 'go further' in countering Russia

WASHINGTON (AFP) – New British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday will urge the United States and European countries to do more to call out Russia's ''malign behavior'' and keep Vladimir Putin in check, notably by implementing tough sanctions.

''The established rules of international conduct are repeatedly being flouted by major countries like Russia,'' Hunt was to say in Washington, in his first major policy speech since succeeding Boris Johnson in July.

''Such aggressive and malign behavior undermines the international order that keeps us safe,'' Hunt was to tell an audience at the US Institute of Peace, a nonpartisan think tank, according to excerpts provided by the Foreign Office.

''Of course we must engage with Moscow, but we must also be blunt: Russia's foreign policy under President Putin has made the world a more dangerous place.''

Hunt, who is to meet on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, will ask London's allies to do more.

''Today, the United Kingdom asks its allies to go further by calling on the European Union to ensure its sanctions against Russia are comprehensive, and that we truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the US,'' Hunt will say, according to the excerpts.

''That means calling out and responding to transgressions with one voice whenever and wherever they occur, from the streets of Salisbury to the fate of Crimea.''