You are in:
European Divisions Over Russia
Earlier this week, Britain expelled four Russian diplomats following Russia's refusal to extradite a man who, as a commentator in the Telegraph writes, was "caught practically red-handed performing an act of nuclear terrorism in their ally's capital."
Further fuelling tensions between London and Moscow, it was revealed today that billionaire dissident Boris Berezovsky fled the UK three weeks ago on Scotland Yard's orders, following a warning that an alleged Russian hitman had been caught waiting for him in the Hilton Hotel.
Russia is considering its response to the expulsions; European countries are reportedly awaiting news of Moscow with some trepidation.
The Guardian has a round-up of reaction in other European capitals to the Anglo-Russian spat. It seems that Gordon Brown is learning his first harsh lesson on what European unity and fellowship actually means: That is, nothing much.
Russia warned other EU nations not to get involved, the Guardian reports, and that it seems is exactly what happened. With the honourable (and perhaps surprising) exception of France, EU capitals gave a mumbled reception to Brown's call for a united front condemning Russian plotting.
"The murder of a British national on his home soil, using a substance that put at risk the lives of thousands of others is a particularly serious matter. Given the gravity of the matter, we stand alongside the United Kingdom in its concern that justice be done," said a spokesperson for France's foreign minister Bernard Kouchner,
"We call on Moscow to respond to the demands of British justice in a constructive manner ... so that the perpetrators of this crime are brought to justice and punished."
Germany's response, the newspaper reports, was more "lukewarm." Gordon Brown was hoping for a stronger response from Berlin, particularly given that Angela Merkel is reported to feel little affection for Moscow or Mr Putin, unlike the previous Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. Smaller European nations, perhaps mindful of Russian oil contracts, shuffled and stared at their shoes. Some mumbled that London might have been too hasty in expelling the diplomats (despite having waited several weeks for Russia to react to its request, and despite Moscow having sneeringly dismissed London's claims the day they were made).
It is true that Russia's constitution forbids it from extraditing its citizens, but the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, for which former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi is wanted, is a serious crime and both Britain and Russia are party to the usual extradition treaties and warrants.
Lack of EU unity on an important issue of foreign policy is no surprise. Clearly, situations like this make a nonsense of any hoped-for EU foreign policy, which would crumble the moment a nation (and particularly a powerful nation) felt it wasn't getting the wholeheared support it expected from its 'partners.'
What is shocking, however, is the lack of unity between supposedly democratic allies when faced with Russia's growing aggression. Russia has found it remarkably easy to "divide and rule" in Europe, picking on smaller, isolated nations like Estonia and threatening larger powers outside the EU mainstream such as Poland. It was inevitable that Britain should be next, thanks to the large numbers of Russian emigres based in London. However, governments in other EU nations should ask themselves who is likely to be next should Moscow succeed in facing down the UK as other Europeans stand idly by.
