U.K.’S top diplomat makes first trip to Moscow in 5 years
MOSCOW — British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Moscow on Friday, mixing calls for cooperation on global security challenges with sparring over allegations of Russian meddling in Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.
Despite an acerbic exchange between Johnson and Russianforeignminister Sergey Lavrov, both diplomats expressed a strong desire to work together when national interests align.
Johnson is the U.K.’S first foreign secretary to visit Moscow in more than five years. Russia and Britain have collided on a range of issues, including the 2006 poisoning death inlondonofex-russianspyalexander Litvinenko and the Ukrainian crisis.
“It’s important to talk about these things and to be frank about them and to accept that they are obstructions in our relationship at the moment,” Johnson said at the start of his talks with Lavrov. “But we mustn’t let ourselves be defined by these problems.”
Their news conference gave the two diplomats an opportunity to spar briefly over the allegations that Russia was interested in seeing Britain leave the EU. Lavrov said Johnson has acknowledged that there was no proof of Russian interference inthejune2016vote.
“Not successfully, I think is the word,” Johnson immediately intervened.
Lavrov retorted that his British counterpart needed to publicly argue with him to safeguard his reputation at home.
“Sergei, it’s your reputation I’m worried about,” Johnson said as Lavrov laughed. “You should recognize that Russian attempts to interfere … haven’t been successful.”