The UK denounces Russia's expulsion of British diplomats as 'completely baseless'.

The U.K. rejected Russia's accusations of spying against six of its diplomats, stating that the move was unfounded and linked to the U.K.'s actions in May to expel an attaché at the Russian Embassy and limit Moscow's diplomatic activities in London.

As British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Washington for talks, tensions between the East and West escalate as Ukraine requests Western-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia. President Putin has warned that Kyiv's use of long-range weapons would put NATO at war with Moscow.

The British envoys' accreditations were withdrawn by Russia's Foreign Ministry, according to an online statement from the Federal Security Service. Russian TV reported that an FSB official stated the decision to expel them.

The FSB stated that it received evidence that six diplomats were dispatched to Russia by a branch of the U.K.'s Foreign Office with the primary objective of inflicting a strategic defeat on our country, and that they were engaged in intelligence-gathering and subversive activities. The FSB did not reveal the identities of the diplomats.

If other diplomats are discovered engaging in actions similar to those of the FSB, Russia will demand the immediate termination of their missions.

Russian TV reported that six diplomats had met with independent media and rights groups labeled "foreign agents" by Russian authorities, who have been critical of the Kremlin.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, stated in a statement that the diplomats were engaged in "subversive activities aimed at causing harm to our population."

"The Russian FSB has expressed its agreement with the assessments of the activities of British diplomats, stating that the British Embassy has exceeded the limits set forth in the Vienna Conventions."

Currently, there are no plans to end diplomatic relations with the U.K., according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

The U.K. Foreign Office stated that the Russian allegations were "completely baseless" and that the expulsions occurred weeks ago, which were linked to Britain's decision in May to revoke the credentials of an attaché at Moscow's London embassy and impose a five-year time limit on all Russian diplomats in Britain.

"The Foreign Office stated that six U.K. diplomats' diplomatic accreditation was revoked by Russian authorities last month due to the U.K. government's response to Russian state-directed activity in Europe and the U.K. The Foreign Office added that they are unapologetic for taking actions to protect their national interests."

In May, the U.K. expelled Russia's defense attaché in London, accusing him of being an undeclared intelligence officer, and shut down several Russian diplomatic properties in Britain that it claimed were being used for spying. A week later, Russia retaliated by expelling Britain's defense attaché.

The expulsion of diplomats, including Western envoys in Russia and Russians in the West, has become more frequent since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In the past year, Western countries and Japan expelled a total of 670 Russian diplomats from January 2022 to October 2023, while Moscow responded by expelling 346 diplomats. According to RBC, this was more than the combined total of expulsions in the previous 20 years.

On his journey to the U.S., Starmer stated that Britain does not desire any confrontation with Russia.

"Russia began the conflict. Russia unlawfully invaded Ukraine. Russia has the power to end this conflict immediately," he stated to reporters.

We support Ukraine's right to self-defense and have provided training capability. However, we do not seek conflict with Russia and our intention is not to provoke one.

There are indications that President Biden may alter U.S. policy regarding Ukraine's request for permission to utilize certain weapons for a more profound attack on Russia.

According to two U.S. officials, it seemed unlikely that Biden and Starmer would make any policy announcements during their meeting, despite the issue being expected to be at the top of their agenda. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the private deliberations.

The Falkland Islanders' wishes should be given priority, regardless of the cost.

During Blinken and Lammy's visit to Kyiv, Ukrainian officials reiterated their request for Western-supplied long-range missiles to target locations further within Russia.

Blinken stated that he was certain that Biden and Starmer would discuss the issue during their visit, as the U.S. has adapted and will adjust as necessary in response to Russia's changing battlefield strategy.