LONDON, April 4. /TASS/. Remarks by some Western politicians that Europe is in a pre-war era are an exaggeration, Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrey Kelin said.
"It’s an extreme exaggeration, absolutely. We have to deal with the problem of Ukraine because Ukraine has become a sort of a break-through instrument against Russia," he pointed out in an interview with the LBC radio station.
"There is no pre-war situation in Europe. It is a problem between Russia and Ukraine that should be resolved. All the rest is pure speculation," he added, pointing to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement that Moscow had no intention of engaging in a conflict with NATO.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said last week that Europe had entered a pre-war era. The remark was later repeated by a number of other Western politicians, including British Secretary of State for Defense Grant Shapps.
Asked when the conflict in Ukraine would end, Kelin stressed that Kiev was unprepared for negotiations with Moscow, while NATO countries continued talking about the need to arm Kiev, which would only lead to Ukraine’s destruction.
The ambassador also rejected allegations that the outcome of Russia’s presidential election had been rigged. According to Kelin, the voting results show that Russia’s "political system is absolutely stable."
He also said that British media allegations of Russia’s potential involvement in spreading false information about Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her health. "I have heard about that and I was amazed, in fact. I’m afraid to say that probably, the British media are now short of accusations against Russia. That’s a pity because they have been very inventive about accusations recently, but accusing us of that is funny," the diplomat noted. "You can read on the website of the Russian embassy that we wish Ms. Kate Middleton all the best, as well as the soonest and full recovery. <...> You will not find any positive story about Russia in British newspapers, which is bad," Kelin concluded.