MOSCOW – Dmitry Medvedev and David Cameron tried to look like old friends.
They smiled at each other and called one another by the first name.
“I am happy to welcome you to the Kremlin. This visit has been a long time coming,” Medvedev said.
“Thank you very much, Dmitry,” replied Cameron.
From then on, the smiles never left their faces and they gave a news conference for half an hour, instead of the scheduled 20 minutes, seemingly reluctant to drag themselves away from each other.
Medvedev said: “Even if our approaches differ, there is no reason for drama. The main thing is that this does not have a negative impact on the general trend of our relations.”
“Of course it’s no secret there are issues on which our opinions differ,” Cameron responded. “But we must continue open dialogue.”
But reporters wanted to talk about what has poisoned, both literally and figuratively, political relations between Moscow and London: the unfinished business of Alexander Litvinenko.
The former KGB agent, who was subsequently a critic of the Kremlin, died in London in 2006 after being poisoned by radioactive polonium. The murder prompted a chill in ties, as Moscow refused to extradite the prime suspect, Andrei Lugovoy.
“Do you want Britain to stop talking about Litvinenko?” A British journalist put to Medvedev and Cameron.
Cameron calmly answered: “Despite the difficulties and disagreements between us, we are not changing our opinion. That does not mean that we should not develop our mutual cooperation in the areas of business and trade.”
But the British media did not give up, with a BBC correspondent indignantly asking Cameron: “How can you come here to boost British business when the killer of Litvinenko has not been extradited?”
From the subsequent questions to Cameron and Medvedev, it’s clear Litvinenko’s death will continue to mar Russian-British relations.
Cameron said: “The issue has not been parked, but this does not mean we freeze the entire relationship.”
Searching for a way out
Medvedev’s answer showed no compromise. “If I am not mistaken, article 61 of the Russian constitution states ‘A Russian citizen cannot be extradited to a foreign state for a court case or an investigation.” This needs to be respected. To whoever asks the question, there is one answer. It is impossible. Remember that.”
However, Kommersant has learned that Moscow and London had used the encounter to discuss in private the possibility of specific ways to overcome the impasse.
“As long as we are unable to give Lugovoy up, a solution must be found via a joint investigation,” a well-placed Russian source to Kommersant. “We proposed to the British to do this, and if it was ascertained that Lugovoy was really to blame, then they must arrest him in Russia. However, they don’t want to do that.”
Meanwhile, a source close to this week’s talks told Kommersant that resuming contact between the countries’ intelligence services, frozen since the Litvinenko affair, could be a possibility for improving relations.
“The British made it clear that owing to the level of public opinion surrounding the Litvinenko case, to renew relations with the FSB (Russian secret service) would be difficult. For that reason, what are being looked at are different ways of cooperation through international organizations, and joint operations under their auspices,” the second source said. “So that means the FSB and British intelligence will not work together directly, but within the framework of an international group over issues such as Afghanistan.”
Read the original story in Russian
Photo – gianni