Russia says UK ties unlikely to improve under Truss

MOSCOW: Russia is not expecting any changes to its frosty relations with Britain under new prime minister Liz Truss, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

“Judging by statements made by Madame Truss when she was still foreign minister… one can say with much certainty that no changes for the better are expected,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the state TASS agency.

Under outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson Britain was one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters following the start of Moscow’s offensive in the former Soviet republic.

Truss, who is due to formally take over the premiership on Tuesday, is expected to continue the policy of forcefully confronting Russia.

Liz Truss was named as Britain’s next prime minister on Monday, winning a leadership race for the governing Conservative party at a time when the country faces a cost-of-living crisis, industrial unrest and a recession.

After weeks of an often bad-tempered and divisive leadership contest that saw the foreign minister face off against former finance minister Rishi Sunak, Truss came out on top in a vote of Conservative Party members.

The announcement triggers the start of a handover from Boris Johnson, who was forced to announce his resignation in July after months of scandal saw support for his administration drain away.