Theresa May has launched her strongest attack on Russia yet, accusing Moscow of meddling in elections and carrying out cyber espionage.
Mr Johnson, who will be making his first trip to Russia since becoming foreign secretary in December, has said the UK’s policy towards Moscow must be one of “beware but engage” following a decade of strained relations.
He told MPs earlier this month that he had not seen any evidence of Russia trying to interfere in British elections or the 2016 Brexit vote, in which Moscow has insisted it remained neutral.
“We will take the necessary action to counter Russian activity,” Mrs May added.
“But this is not where we want to be and not the relationship with Russia we want.
“We do not want to return to the Cold War or to be in a state of perpetual confrontation.
“As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia has the reach and the responsibility to play a vital role in promoting international stability.
“Russia can, and I hope one day will, choose this different path. But for as long as Russia does not, we will act together to protect our interests and the international order on which they depend.”
Responding to Mrs May’s speech, former Labour cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw – who has been raising the issue of Russian interference in UK elections for nearly a year – tweeted: “Asking why May suddenly acknowledging Russian interference now having stonewalled for months.”
Alexei Pushkov, a Russian senator involved in media policy, dismissed the PM’s comments.
“The international system of rules must be saved not from Russia but from the advocates of intervention, coups and regime change. Russia will not accept those ‘rules’,” he tweeted.
“The world order that suits May, with the seizure of Iraq, war in Libya, the rise of IS and terrorism in Europe, has had its day. You can’t save it by attacking Russia.”
In Mrs May’s speech, she also said the authorities in Myanmar – formerly known as Burma – must take “full responsibility” for what “looked like ethnic cleansing” of the Rohingya people in Rakhine province.
