UK, Russia Need to Share Intel Despite Row Over Litvinenko Case – Official

London and Moscow must put aside their differences and learn to cooperate, including in the area of intelligence sharing, a former UK ambassador to Russia told Sputnik on Monday.

LONDON (Sputnik), Svetlana Alexandrova – The United Kingdom’s January report on the alleged involvement of Russian authorities in the poisoning of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko has soured the already strained ties between Moscow and London. Tony Brenton, who served as ambassador to Russia from 2004 to 2008, allowed that the two countries already had different approaches to many issues, specifically to the Ukrainian and Syrian crises.

"The report on the Litvinenko case added to that and the case itself remains a real problem for Russia-UK relations. For example, we do not have intelligence exchanges with Russia which would be to both our advantages," Brenton said.

He added that the Litvinenko case complicated bilateral relations and called for outstanding issues to be resolved.

Sir Robert Owen’s inquiry claimed that Litvinenko’s former colleagues Dmitry Kovtun and Andrey Lugovoy poisoned the deceased with the radioactive substance Polonium-210.

The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the British inquiry of being politicized and warned that it would cast a shadow on UK-Russia relations.