Kremlin: Russia expects no improvement in ties with UK under Truss

Russia says it does not expect any immediate improvement in ties with Britain under new Prime Minister Liz Truss, who is known for her hawkish stance on Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, at a press briefing in Moscow on Tuesday, pointed to the anti-Russian statements made by Truss in her previous capacity as the UK's foreign secretary and said, "In the foreseeable future, we do not expect any changes. I would not like to say that these changes can happen for the worse, because it is difficult to imagine anything worse."

He said the rivals in the race to succeed former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had obviously competed with each other in "anti-Russian rhetoric, in threats, and also what further steps to take against Russia."

"I don't think you can hope for something positive," he said.

Earlier, Sergei Belyaev, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Second European Department, also recalled how Truss had previously wanted the UK to follow Canada's lead and seize the assets of the Russians living there so that they can be given to Ukraine.

Truss, a Johnson loyalist, was declared the next British PM earlier on Monday after she won the Conservative Party leadership race.

Truss has said she will not abandon London's support for Ukraine, which has included significant military and financial aid.

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In his farewell speech on Tuesday, Johnson also highlighted his government's export of lethal arms to Ukraine and thanked people "who organized those prompt early supplies of weapons," an action he said might have "changed the course of the biggest European war in decades."

Russia's Lavrov calls Truss uncompromising

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow on Tuesday, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov strongly criticized Britain's new prime minister for not being willing to compromise.

Lavrov said Truss' approach would not help Britain on the international stage.

Truss tries to "defend Britain's interests without taking into account the positions of others in any way and without any attempt to compromise," Lavrov said. "I do not think that this will help Britain to maintain or strengthen its position in the international arena, which has clearly been shaken after it left the European Union."

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Russia has warned the US against supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine, saying Moscow is determined to use nuclear arms if its existence is threatened.

The top Russian diplomat also mocked the incoming British leader for saying she did not know if the French president was a friend or an enemy. During a campaign event last month, Truss said the "jury is out" on whether Macron was a friend or foe.

"For Liz Truss... it should be more of a priority to deal with her closest neighbors, including finally deciding whether President Macron is her friend or enemy. This question is still hanging in the air," Lavrov said.

Lavrov said Britain had in recent years taken to trying to "compensate" for Brexit by taking "drastic steps on the world stage" and was acting "aggressively over the situation in Ukraine."

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