Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that it was “not being considered.”
Peskov said there was no clarity about who would represent Russia. Putin on Thursday sent a telegram of condolence to King Charles III.
“Well, it has not yet been announced what the protocol practice will be, whether it will even provide for the participation of someone in the funeral,” Peskov told journalists. He said Russia was awaiting an announcement on this by British authorities.
Relations between Britain and Russia were severely damaged after Russian security agencies twice poisoned former Russian spies on British soil — in 2006 when Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive Polonium-210, and in 2018 when Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with chemical nerve agent Novichok.
Litvinenko died and the Skripals survived. Two members of the public Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley were poisoned in 2018 after Rowley found a perfume bottle containing the nerve agent. Sturgess, who rubbed the substance on her skin, died.
Tensions have sharpened over Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine and Britain’s robust support for Kyiv.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a Putin ally who has been in power since 1994, praised the queen’s lengthy reign in comments on the official presidential website, calling it a “symbol of service” and “guarantee of stability and prosperity for the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries for many years to come.” ”
Peskov said there was no clarity about who would represent Russia. Putin on Thursday sent a telegram of condolence to King Charles III.
“Well, it has not yet been announced what the protocol practice will be, whether it will even provide for the participation of someone in the funeral,” Peskov told journalists. He said Russia was awaiting an announcement on this by British authorities.
Relations between Britain and Russia were severely damaged after Russian security agencies twice poisoned former Russian spies on British soil — in 2006 when Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive Polonium-210, and in 2018 when Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with chemical nerve agent Novichok.
Litvinenko died and the Skripals survived. Two members of the public Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley were poisoned in 2018 after Rowley found a perfume bottle containing the nerve agent. Sturgess, who rubbed the substance on her skin, died.
Tensions have sharpened over Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine and Britain’s robust support for Kyiv.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a Putin ally who has been in power since 1994, praised the queen’s lengthy reign in comments on the official presidential website, calling it a “symbol of service” and “guarantee of stability and prosperity for the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries for many years to come.” ”