Russia threatens UK’s cod and haddock supply as Putin pulls out of decades-old fishing deal
Moscow says deal has been struck after UK imposes more sanctions on Russia
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Russia is pulling out from a landmark fishing deal struck with Britain in 1956 as a response to further sanctions imposed by the UK.
The deal allowed British vessels into the rich fishing grounds of the Barents Sea, the coast of the Kola Peninsula and along the coast of Kolguyev Island.
The agreement was made in London by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in May 1956 at a turning point in the Cold War.
In the same year, he denounced Joseph Stalin, proposed peaceful coexistence with the West and even visited Britain in April.
Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma lower house of parliament, said in a statement: “When Nikita Khrushchev accepted this deal in 1956, it is difficult to say what guided him but it was definitely not national interest.
“The British need to study some proverbs: ‘Russians harness the horse slowly, but ride it fast.’”
It comes as Britain on Wednesday imposed sanctions on six individuals in charge of the Arctic penal colony where Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died last week.
Since the invasion began, Britain has repeatedly placed sanctions on Russia with increasing severity. The sanctions were declared as economic war by the State Duma, despite the country’s economy growing by 3.6 per cent last year.
“When people ask if we can respond to sanctions, the answer is: we can,” Mr Volodin said, adding that British vessels caught thousands of tonnes of cod and haddock in Russian waters.
The close Putin ally repeated the current orthodoxy of the Kremlin which views the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union as a tragedy and Mikhail Gorbachev as a failure who was tricked by a deceitful West intent on humiliating Russia.
“With Gorbachev, we lost our country, and with Putin we got it back,” he said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments