Europe, Asia - Pacific

UK summons Russian envoy to revoke accreditation of diplomat

'Any further action taken by Russia will be considered an escalation and responded to accordingly,' says Foreign Office

Burak Bir  | 06.02.2025 - Update : 06.02.2025
UK summons Russian envoy to revoke accreditation of diplomat Andrey Kelin, Ambassador of Russia to the United Kingdom

LONDON

In a tit-for-tat move, the UK on Thursday summoned the Russian ambassador to revoke the accreditation of a Russian diplomat.

The British Foreign Office said it summoned Andrey Kelin, the Russian ambassador to the UK, for a meeting with a senior British official to revoke the accreditation of a Russian diplomat.

In November, Russia announced it was expelling a British diplomat for spying, which was denied by the UK.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office said the move came in response to Russia’s "unprovoked and baseless" decision to strip the accreditation of a British diplomat in Moscow in November.

"Any further action taken by Russia will be considered an escalation and responded to accordingly," added the statement.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said they are "unapologetic" about protecting the country's national interests.

"My message to Russia is clear - if you take action against us, we will respond," he wrote on X.

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.