UK fears naval escalation with Russia – Times

The British newspaper claims Moscow has shunned military dialogue with London, contrary to Russian public statements British officials and diplomats fear an unintended maritime escalation with Russia and are pressuring senior military leaders to restore direct communication with their Russian counterparts, The Times reported on Tuesday.According to the newspaper, former British chief of the defense staff Tony Radakin and his successor, Richard Knighton, have repeatedly sought contact with Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov but have been unable to speak with him for four years. Their last reported conversation took place in 2022. There has likewise been no direct contact between the two countries’ defense ministers since October of that year.Moscow has repeatedly said it does not rule out diplomacy with Western countries despite regarding many of them, including the UK, as “unfriendly.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wrote in a keynote article in June that Russia is “not opposed to contacts with any party.”The Times cited sources as saying that “senior officials and diplomats are nervous about the lack of communication” and are concerned that “a misunderstan...