Russia on Thursday decried the United Kingdom’s “disrespectful” and “immoral” attitude towards it, after London decided not to invite a Russian representative to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday, amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
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“We consider this British attempt to use the national tragedy that touched the hearts of millions of people around the world for geopolitical purposes to settle scores with our country (…) as highly immoral,” the Russian Foreign Minister lamented in a press release. Maria Zakharova.
“This is particularly blasphemous for the memory of Elizabeth II,” she added.
A spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy has expressed regret that the United Kingdom, she said, used the Russian attack on Ukraine as an “excuse” not to invite a Russian leader to Elizabeth II’s funeral in London on Monday 19 September.
A symbol of its now pariah status in the West, Russia – along with its Belarusian ally, as well as Burma and North Korea – were not invited to attend the funeral of the queen, who died last Thursday at the age of 96.
“From now on, the British elites are on the side of the Nazis,” Ms Zakharova criticized, referring to the significant military and financial support London has given to Kaif against Russian military intervention.
Elizabeth II’s funeral at Westminster Abbey next week is a major diplomatic event, with more than 100 presidents, heads of state and other dignitaries expected to be crowned.
Russia’s absence testifies to the highly strained diplomatic relations between Moscow and London for several years, from the Skripal affair in 2018 to the conflict in Ukraine.
