“We consider this British attempt to use the national tragedy which has touched the hearts of millions of people around the world for geopolitical purposes to settle scores with our country (…) as deeply immoral”, lamented in a press release Russian Foreign Minister Maria Zakharova. “This is particularly blasphemous to the memory of Elizabeth II,” she added.
The spokesperson for Russian diplomacy deplored that the United Kingdom is using, according to her, the Russian offensive in Ukraine as a “pretext” not to invite a Russian leader to the funeral of Elizabeth II in London on Monday, September 19.
Symbol of its pariah status now in the West, Russia – alongside its Belarusian ally, as well as Burma and North Korea – was not invited to the funeral of the queen who died last Thursday at 96 years old. “From now on, the British elites are on the side of the Nazis,” castigated Ms. Zakharova, referring to the significant military and financial support provided by London to kyiv once morest the Russian military intervention.
The funeral of Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey next week is a major diplomatic event, and more than 100 crowned heads, heads of state and other personalities are expected. The absence of Russia testifies to the very tense diplomatic relations between Moscow and London for several years, from the Skripal affair in 2018 to the conflict in Ukraine.
