Kremlin may have infiltrated Nato and Brussels, warns Poland
RUSSIA may have successfully placed agents within the headquarters of Nato and the European Union, the Polish government has suggested.
Pledging solidarity with Britain after the Salisbury nerve agent poisoning, a Polish minister last night told The Daily Telegraph that officials in Europe should check the activities of Russian delegates to ensure they are not spies.
The EU has already recalled its ambassador from Moscow following the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Several countries, including Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and the Czech Republic, say they are considering following Britain’s lead in expelling diplomats.
Bartosz Cichocki, Poland’s deputy foreign minister, said his country accepted Britain’s belief that it was “highly likely” Russia was behind the attempted murder of the former spy and said his nation was “actively considering” expelling Russian diplomats. Following the poisoning, Britain expelled 23 Russians it says were using diplomatic cover to spy in the UK.
Mr Cichocki said: “I would encourage the EU to analyse whether diplomats accredited at EU headquarters and Nato headquarters are doing their job, or something else.”
Nato’s decision to limit Russian diplomat numbers in 2015 “was for some reason”, he said, and he called on “our allies and partners also to think of economic measures or otherwise respond to the need of our citizens to be reassured in their security.” As relations with Moscow grow ever more chilly, Britain and its allies have become concerned about the possible activities of Russian agents.
A Whitehall source said Russian diplomats and military delegates were under a healthy dose of suspicion as a matter of course. Another source said: “In light of Salisbury, there’s going to be a lot of close monitoring. There have been concerns about them and options are being looked at.”
Brussels last night declined to say how many Russians were currently accredited to the EU or Nato headquarters.
In 2015, Nato introduced a 30-person ceiling on “partner missions” in a move aimed at curtailing the intelligence gathering of Russian officials. The number of Russians accredited to the EU is thought to be far higher and more difficult to regulate.
A Nato source said: “If any member country wants to bring this to the attention of the council, they are certainly welcome.” Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said Britain’s case for Russian guilt was “very solidly based”.
She said: “Germany and France agree that additional steps, on top of the recall of the ambassador, are necessary.”
Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, called the attack “unprecedented” and said Europe must respond.
“It is an aggression against the security and sovereignty of an ally that is today a member of the EU. It demands a reaction. This is clear,” he said.