UK Prime Minister Theresa May Likely to Maintain Hard Line on Russia

New UK Prime Minister Theresa May is likely to maintain the country's hard line on Russia, especially regarding the death of former Russian Federal Security Service employee Alexander Litvinenko, Tony Brenton, former British ambassador to Moscow, told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) –  On Wednesday, May, having served as home secretary for the past six years, became the United Kingdom’s new prime minister, following David Cameron’s official resignation.

"From the Russian point of view, it's important to know that she was the minister who was responsible for the inquiry a few months ago on the death of Litvinenko. And the conclusion of that inquiry was that the Russian government was involved in the killing. She made a statement at that time where she condemned the Russian government and was very firm on the need for the West to maintain its security. So I expect that in regard to Russia she will maintain a pretty hard line," he said.

In January, a UK inquiry into the 2006 killing of Litvinenko, who had fled to the United Kingdom, found that the Russian authorities were responsible for his death.

The report concluded that Litvinenko’s former colleagues Dmitry Kovtun and Andrey Lugovoy deliberately poisoned him with polonium-210. The inquiry, however, failed to prove that the polonium-210 used to poison the former intelligence officer came from Russia.