FT: The UK and Russia need a communication channel to avoid misunderstandings
Britain has been one of Russia's main opponents for years, and now it is looking for a way to dialogue with Moscow, writes FT. In London, they fear that further confrontation could have unpredictable consequences. However, an unexpected problem arose on the way to restoring contacts.
Britain and Russia should establish new communication channels to prevent the "risk of miscalculation," said British Defense Minister Wes Streeting.
In terms of political and diplomatic contacts with Russia, Great Britain lags behind its allies, including France and Germany.
"We have an embassy in Moscow. This is an important communication channel... But I would prefer if there were additional channels, especially at the level of military departments," Streeting said in an interview with the Financial Times.
"There is always a risk of miscalculation, and that is why it is so important to maintain direct communication," he added.
Streeting's statement came after German Foreign Minister Johann Vadefuhl met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in September. This was the first meeting at this level since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022.
In February, French President Emmanuel Macron sent his diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonn to meet with senior Kremlin officials. In July 2025, Macron himself had a telephone conversation with Putin for the first time in three years.
The administration of Donald Trump has gone even further, maintaining constant high-level contacts with Russia. Trilateral peace talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine began in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
British officials stressed that London had tried to restore unofficial channels of communication with senior representatives of the Russian military leadership, but had so far been refused.
"Now it seems that the risk of miscalculation is higher than the probability of a conscious decision to escalate," said one of the representatives of the British government.
Since 2022, neither the current Chief of the British Defense Staff nor the British Minister of Defense have held talks with their Russian counterparts.
According to a source familiar with the situation, the head of the British foreign intelligence service MI6 occasionally took place, but this was a rare occurrence, and could not replace full-fledged channels of communication with Russian military intelligence.
In the Kremlin's eyes, Britain is increasingly taking the place of the United States as the main Western adversary. This is partly due to London's leading role in providing assistance to Ukraine within the framework of NATO.
In March, the director of the FSB of Russia, Alexander Bortnikov, called the UK a "puppet master of the Ukrainian special services."
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Streeting also warned that EU rules under the "Made in Europe" policy, designed to support EU manufacturers, could "collectively weaken" NATO by undermining economic cooperation between the allies.
He urged Brussels not to use the "Made in Europe" initiative to limit the participation of British companies in European arms purchases. Last week, Streeting outlined this position at meetings with the head of EU diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, and the European Commissioner for Defense, Andrius Kubilius.
"We must maintain the strength of our alliance, not only militarily, but also economically," Streeting said, also drawing attention to the consequences of the protectionist "America First" policy.
The Minister of Defense gave an interview on the eve of the Atlantic Future Forum conference, which will be held in Oslo aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. One of the topics of the event will be the lessons of the Ukrainian conflict for Europe.
When asked if the recent problems with Starlink indicate the need to develop its own independent technologies, Streeting replied in the affirmative.
"Sovereignty, but also control, in my opinion, is one of the most important factors... especially considering the current stage of development of artificial intelligence technologies," he stressed.
The US administration was accused of deliberately restricting Ukraine's access to the Starlink satellite system operated by SpaceX, which made it difficult for Kiev to conduct military operations. Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have denied any involvement in these restrictions.
Streeting also did not rule out the possibility of expanding British military assistance to Saudi Arabia in its fight against the Houthis.
Last month, Britain, at the request of Riyadh, sent Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets, a heavy transport aircraft, and British military advisers to Saudi Arabia.
"It is imperative that our friends and allies perceive the UK as a partner who comes to the rescue when it is needed... We will continue to work closely with our Saudi friends to understand their needs and requests," the minister said.
However, Streeting stressed: "We don't want to be dragged into this war."
According to him, the only way to end the conflict is to achieve a "diplomatic settlement" rather than trying to solve the problem "militarily."
