UK Labour MP: Russia bombing Syria to tilt ‘balance in favor of Brexit’

Russia is bombing Syrian civilians to worsen the refugee crisis in Europe,”tilt the balance in favor of Brexit,” and fragment the European stance on Ukraine, U.K. Labour MP Geraint Davies said in a question-and-answer session in the House of Commons Tuesday.

The Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond agreed there was “definitely a Russian strategy to try to fragment European resolve,” but said it was “a step too far” to suggest Russia’s engagement in Syria was designed solely to apply pressure over Ukraine.

“Russia has its own agenda, and from the point of view of the Kremlin it is not so obvious to me that it will regard its current strategy as failing and in need of revision,” Hammond said. “Russia is ensuring that the countries that it regards as its near abroad are unable to make free choices about their futures, and I judge that to be the No. 1 priority for the Kremlin.”

Hammond added: “But, overall, Russia’s behaviour in Syria and Ukraine gives us deep cause for concern about the established security settlement that we have been used to living with for the last 25 years.”

Hammond also said the U.K. was working to strengthen its cyber-defenses in response to a Russian threat.

“We are developing an offensive cyber-capability for retaliatory purposes if we are attacked,” he said in response to a question about how the U.K. was preparing for Russia’s use of cyber-warfare.

Hammond acknowledged the U.K.’s relations with Russia were in “a very difficult phase,” Politico reported.