Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United Kingdom of trying to provoke Moscow into a nuclear conflict, claiming that Britain was behind a Ukrainian military attack on a Russian atomic facility.
Speaking from Vladivostok ahead of an expected meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, Putin claimed that Russia had captured members of a Ukrainian special forces team allegedly tasked with waging an attack on the power lines supporting an undisclosed nuclear facility. The Russian leader went on to claim that once captured, the Ukrainian “saboteurs” revealed that their plan was orchestrated by British intelligence agents.
Speaking of the UK government, Putin said according to The Times of London: “Do they understand what they are playing with?”
“Are they trying to provoke us into retaliating against Ukrainian atomic power stations? Does the British prime minister know what his secret services are doing in Ukraine?”
The Russian strongman went on to assert that the UK of “underestimating” the potential geo-political fallout if such an attack was seen to fruition, although he did suggest that the alleged mission could have been ordered by Washington without Prime Minister Rishi Sunak being made aware.
Although Putin did not provide details about the supposedly foiled plot or indeed the location of the facility in question, there have been increased warnings — including from the United Nations — that the Zaporozhzhia nuclear station could come under fire and that there have been several explosions recorded in the area in previous weeks.
The Ukrainian plant, which is one of the largest in Europe, has been controlled by Moscow over the past year with Russian forces occupying the region. Both Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of putting the plant in jeopardy through military actions.
The comments from Putin on the UK come just days after the British government announced that it intends to fly Royal Air Force jets over the Black Sea, in order to “deter Russian attacks” on vessels, specifically those carrying critical supplies of Ukrainian grain to needy countries.
Moscow and London have repeatedly traded barbs throughout the Ukrainian conflict, with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev even going so far as to suggest the Kremlin could wage nuclear war against Britain and send the island nation into “the abyss“.
While Putin warned of escalation with the UK on Tuesday, the Russian president may have also given one of his strongest indications that he would be willing to sit down at the negotiating table with the Ukrainians to date.
Commenting on former U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that he could bring an end to the conflict immediately upon taking office if he is elected in 2024, Putin said “This is good”.
“We hear that Mr Trump says that he will solve pressing problems in a few days, including the Ukrainian crisis,” he said. “Well, this cannot but bring happiness.”
The former president has been one of the few leading voices calling for an end to the conflict in Ukraine. However, it is unclear if the Ukrainians — or indeed the current leadership in the West — have any intention of engaging in talks with Moscow. Last week, the head of Ukraine’s top security chief, Oleksiy Danilov, described negotiating with Putin to Sir Winston Churchill talking to Adolph Hitler during the bombing of London.
Ukraine has consistently maintained that it will only negotiate on condition of Russia returning the lands it is currently illegally occupying, including Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. Yet, with the counteroffensive largely stalling, it is doubtful that Moscow would concede any such lands.
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