isn't as an attack and to start pointing fingers at this very early stage is is frankly completely wrong. i would make one final point this in response to all of this which is of course when ultimatums are made such as the one that's a resume has made it is to my own mind as sign that the british government doesn't have the evidence points to russia because if you did why you would need challenge the russians to prove their innocence in that kind of way you know any one of the things that's really interesting in this. poll he was part of this prisoner exchange exchange in two thousand and ten presumably they could have pretty much squeezed everything out of the. british intelligence i mean he kind of went to the u.k. it's a blank sheet i would imagine you know what could you speculate that it's kind of

was your world at one time i mean what the world did after going through all that being a liberal russian prison for espionage for the british government i mean what in the world could he possibly gotten themselves into that would warrant this kind of you know murder attempt go ahead because i'm mystified. this is absolutely the key question in my view so we have a guy who was recruited and betrayed his country for ten years he worked as an agent for m i six and he handed over other agent names across europe reportedly and then he was caught he was tried he was convicted he was imprisoned and then he was pardoned by the russian state and allowed to be to go free to go to the u.k. as part of the two thousand and ten spy swap with a russian alleged legals which includes anna chapman who went back to russia so of course russia would have known exactly what he knew they would have put him through the mill in terms of getting any intelligence or. him and they would not have

released him if they thought he was still a threat you know then of course when he arrived in the u.k. he would have been debriefed for weeks but m i six before allowed to go free and live a life and you know he lived his life quite openly so this is the key question and i've been saying this ever since the story broke what on earth was he involved in in the last eight years since he's been living in the u.k. who was he working with who were its contacts and that might give the investigators a clue to who might indeed have perpetrated this attack i don't think it's going to be a russian state retaliatory thing i just cannot see the motivation and i don't either you know charles i mean what i mean there is there's some speculation there's so many people that have their own theories i think that there is a page or are there argue website all the different conspiracies out there some people are making a connection to jonathan's christopher steele i mean does that make any sense to you. no it doesn't first of all of course this was a long. christmas tale. any.

knowledge of what's going on in the russian military or security establishment he wasn't really in a position to provide any of this kind of information and also i think i've read it may be true maybe not true but still himself so in talking to i think to the guardian which is a lot of contact pushing. for example actually he wasn't involved in any way duction of that are going to jump in here we have to go to a hard break and after that short break we'll continue our discussion on british russian relations with r.t. . it will become. clear as well but. it was. official line. does not exist. is an occupied territory.

may be a great source. probably develop nukes and if that happens. to get all this have a lot of development. in the heart of the swiss alps this is a place probably more secretive than the pentagon more mysterious than the cia and . knox. is controlled by. the. us the procedures in place of the strictest you know europe masterpieces by artists like. and modigliani kept boards unsold inside this warehouse that's where the report comes in it covers

a naturally discreet commercially discreet step but also discreet because they concern fraud. some of those paintings are linked to dark secrets nobody knows how many of these secrets a kept inside the geneva freeport system you'll never obtain an inventory of all the works in the freeport who knows how many there are three hundred three thousand three hundred thousand is it a matter of confidentiality only is it the words lack of the odd business. welcome back across like we're all things we consider and i'm peter all about you man you were discussing u.k. russia relations. you know alexander one of the interim a cure all your things about the u.k. since the end of the soviet union is that a lot of ethnic russians with

a many of them with very dubious pasts in ways that breed their money and found their way into the u.k. when it's convenient they say there are political dissident i always like that little trick here. with their pockets all stuffed full of money but it's kind of turned into a kind of morbid playground of settling scores that have you know have some kind of connection with russia in the case that we're talking about right now that it looks like it was a purely british affair i mean you know don't think that you know isn't there any kind of reflection in the u.k. that maybe you shouldn't let these are crooked billionaires into the u.k. i know they've got a lot of money and money does talk go ahead alexander what is so strange about this is yes the reason or if there is some reflection about this there are people who are saying we've allowed all sorts of very. people from russia to wrong here put in an old calling to twist the blame for that is actually being

directed at russia spoken of all of these very strange people that you're talking about are somehow connected to the russian authorities whereas as you and peter peter and i both know they're not all most of these people are antagonistic to the russian authorities and of course they have their own quarrels and that's why they've come to london to get out of the reach of the russian authorities and they're bringing their problems to groups and we've seen the results so. if the british really do take action to stop these people coming to britain it's not going to it's not going to. the russians the russians will be pleased about it this is again part of the upside down world that we were talking about before you know anyone what do what does the. government want i mean obviously russia has

and given any kind of evidence about this case forensic evidence i mean what in the world are they expect the russians to do and what do you think the sanction will be afterwards because you know. she's a political mess right now. she doesn't have a memorable time in office here she's found this one issue she's really pushing it here i mean coming to conclusions before facts are presented not ever to the public by the way here i mean you know what is you know is this an internal domestic issue for her i mean she's found this one issue the kind of booster a little bit because she needs a whole lot of boosting go ahead and. well i think as you say she's in a very weak political position. and she will be under pressure from l i six because bear in mind this guy worked as an agent and i six for a decade i was handed to them they had a duty of protection to their source and they seem to fumbled it and allowed him to be attacked in the u.k.

by persons unknown but again in terms of the political aspects and also the scientific aspects we need to get the forensics around the chemicals that were used allegedly used so just to make statements in parliament which are quite bellicose is reckless at this point and she did say well it could have been the russian state or it could have been they didn't take enough care of securing their nerve agents so it's their fault anyway but bear in mind there is you know i think there are other cases from history that other countries have done the say. thing so for example go back to two thousand and one in the immediate aftermath of nine eleven there was a number of cases of militarized anthrax being sent through the post to politicians and news editors across the u.k. five people died seventeen people were injured and air force saying oh you know it must be an outside source it turned out after years investigation it was some rogue agent allegedly coming out of the tree itself so you know even the usa

can't secure its biological and weapons of mass of mass destruction so immediately say it must be the russian state because they developed this thirty years ago even though lots of other people have the recipe they must have been slacking and protecting is i think is disingenuous at best and potentially hugely damaging for diplomatic relationships and world peace at worst you know charles you know i was been made aware that i think it was in one thousand nine hundred two or a lot of these chemical agents they were revealed to the public so how do you know certainly you need the facilities to make it but the recipe the roadmap is there what it it's all about what kind of compounds and all that so that kind of adds to the wrinkle but charles what do you what do you think that you know what does to resume really want i mean does she want to ratchet up this confrontation with russia and it to what degree i mean there are so many fronts now where there is

tension and so you know it's one of these games of chicken and i can tell you that and i make it very clear to our viewers here the russian state's not going to blink just get used to it there's plenty of cases we can see that around the world go ahead charles. yes one wonders the extent to which in so many matters in fact and this is a good example of it the extent to which theresa may and even her government ministers are actually driving this situation or whether they're being driven by it yet and if they're being driven by it they're being driven by other actors behind the scenes perhaps even those that may have been involved in some degree and who could benefit from it unlike russia which doesn't seem to be getting any benefit from this action whatsoever we raised the subject of oligarchy not just from russia from ukraine and elsewhere in the world and unsavory in many cases in london we asked the question why they're allowed to settle or one needs to look. at the donations to political parties in this country in the united kingdom labor for example the opposition parties today recently challenge to. the government to stop taking

donations from russian exile oligarchy to political in terms of political donations to the conservative party that's been declined so these people where would political power that is well beyond there should we say representative basis and so that may be a reason why they're untouchable here but let's look at this not be chocked that this alleged chemical agent it's been years i've just read very recently an one thousand nine hundred nine article in a new york times no less not a pro russian organ organ whatsoever describing in one thousand nine hundred nine the united states' efforts to help clear up. the production plant or testing plants involving allegedly this chemical agent novacek this is in one thousand nine hundred ninety it's not in russia it's in his backyard stan and so we can see that this agent is likely to be not just produced by russia but elsewhere as well and furthermore of course it seems to be that certainly the political consensus amongst

many of the actual chemists not the so-called experts from organizations such as ballin cat and others that are then we would out by the media in these circumstances because they know their coverage will be pro-u.s. u.k. in every instance but real chemists us. there was the one consensus seems to be that even if it's not particularly easy to make the ingredients for making this alleged chemical agent of very very easy to come by and so therefore it's conceivable that anybody with some training at least anywhere in the world could have made this unless we have more evidence and we haven't got that evidence to pin it on russia as yet you know alexander reading your article that i mentioned at the beginning of the program and you gave you elaborate on the case of lindh linfen yank oh and. the results of the investigation way after the political storm and at its impact here and they found that they couldn't determine where it came from in a number of issues here but the storm had already passed ok the impression had

already been made you know it was the putin did it ok that was that they're looking for that moment right now i surmise probably this is going to happen again but it will be far from the public view it will be like an appendix in history go ahead. that is the fatal danger of prejudging something before all the facts are there and that is exactly what happened in the litvinenko case the whole assumption at the outset that the russian state was involved in the litvinenko case was that polonium was very expensive was only produced in russia and could be traced there when the inquiry that was convened to learn to be true none of it look at that and none of it was true none of it was true but by that point as you rightly say it was far too late because the idea that the russians the russians were involved had already become fixed and there was nothing really stickley by that point that was going to

change it and the result was again as annie and charles has said a lot of other possible lines of inquiry were not followed up you know any. one of the things that should be concerning us all is that the different layers of sanctions that the u.s. has put on in the european union i mean there's a separation between the west and russia further and further apart and you know i surmise that and i hear this in circles here in moscow is that who cares why do we want to relationship with these people they all seem pathological ok i mean it was only a few hours ago the house intel committee came out and said well after eighteen months . no collusion ok and now we get the story in the u.k. it's like passing the baton let's keep it going the russian side is just exhausted by all of this you know inventing things lying exaggerating the media the media is

so compliant it's click bait for them they don't have to think they don't have any sense of morality you know this this is a this is the the the chasm of trust or a lack of trust between the two and that's worrisome go ahead. no i totally agree i mean we have a situation where over the last few years because of the west's determination not to try and resolve diplomatic issues with russia russia has pivoted towards the east you know all these new trade deals with china all these new transport lines pipelines all the rest of it are huge for russia and huge for china that is not being reported in the west alternatively what you get is someone like me who talks about this and i was. the night the story broke two hours later i was on b.b.c. news night the night the story broke and i said exactly the same points and yet on the one hand putin's useful idiot or a stooge yet on the other hand praise from the newsnight formants and that duality

is actually quite stark when you're living through it and i think that's what we're seeing at the moment with the western media is dangerous because exacerbate diplomatic relations between the west and russia and you know i i hope that we can dial down these accusations and come to some sort of diplomatic understanding proper forensic and investigation and that we can step away from the brink which is what i think we're beginning to look at you know that it's very interesting all of you bring up a very rational point in and ways to resolve this or try to understand it but unfortunately politicians in the media they don't like it that way that's all the dime we have many thanks to my guests in london and in brussels and thanks to our viewers for watching us here at r.t. you see you next time and remember crosstalk rules.

baby and. this is on march eighteenth vote with your remote. for special coverage of the russian presidential election exit polls open real time results monitoring much more. on the welcome to worlds apart of the recent series of events on the north korean track has attended many diplomatic conventions but only have the south koreans

become dan likely messengers between pyongyang and washington they've also become spokespeople for both kendall trump's supposedly acceptance of kim jong un suppose that invitation photogs break these decades old stalemate well to discuss that i'm now joined by the line calls professor at the university insult professor link of it's good to have you on the show thank you very much for your time thank you very much and now we've just witnessed a major turnaround in how north korea and the united states approach one another just a few weeks ago the world feared to break out of a nuclear war now we are discussing the potentiality of the first ever face to face meeting between the two leaders since the korean war what do you think accounts for these dramatic shifts of well i would say cynically blackmail. because or was the last year as a u.s. administer. racial or well it's a more there's been more but a size president himself has evoked

a very hard to create an impression that huge is seriously considering a military operation against north korea nobody but president trump himself can possibly nor was he he was really going to strike north korea or helps it was all bluff bluffing to create such an impression and to get by lead to go diplomatic results reza sincere or not this policy of pressure has finally walked. or will september suddenly changed its edgy heute to send chills dieting or steady historically was a remarkably reluctant to forward a really tough sanctions against north korea bought from august of september jan is probably in somebody's guards tougher than the united states saw the try to shore

they're working very hard so essentially what you're saying is that donald trump managed to change the calculus of not only the north koreans but also other parties to this conflict but the north koreans do not have a reputation of being particularly feeble minded in fact i think they have a reputation of being very tough negotiators and trying to get as much as possible for as little as possible and yet all of a sudden they show this openness for one sided concessions agreeing to suspend military and ballistic tests while north asking the americans to suspend their military exercises is that a measure of how frightened they are or perhaps a calculation on their part that they may get more in return later on bourse. bridges sure that in the long run as the north koreans the smart americans. because you know i've been studying the history and this is you see. history of how well. and his father and the special his grandfather many people ate it changes

russians solsbury of americans jeff aeneas and they always vo vigorous but right now they are still frightened because i mentioned your sentients is there yet to produce impact but in your time situation is likely to deteriorate and of course the dorms want to be shot at as they understand in case of war they get in freak a great deal of damage on the us and their allies by they also understand that in the end of the day they're going to suffer much more so the dorms want a shooting war and eve the presume that this is was going to happen if they don't stop well they decided to stop is a metal fact exit action is they introduce the mandatory i'm on their missile tests a nuclear launch it's not now now they just confirmed it for all practical purposes they did it in late november and they also floated

a possibility of being open to discuss the so-called denuclearization of the peninsula now i know from your own writing that it sounds big but it doesn't carry much at least in your view but do you think there is anything that could actually prompt young young to take this issue seriously and consider it i don't see any say that here where our reach will probably make more scary else to seriously consider . their current statement is basically just. many people forget by the according to the nine hundred sixty eight treaties signed by all major nuclear powers including tonight of states russia and share that and france and united kingdom all this countries are under obligation to a venture to surrender the nuclear weapons. i fear show american or russian or chinese documents. you see this is not exactly was there of working hard to achieve

so just a leap service. areas can easily do the same they can is it did do was their american so russians have been doing for decades just to see involve beautiful point in a very distant future probably they will surrender nuclear weapons not know precious a link of you mentioned the believe service and i think it's also become a bit of a diplomatic ritual to indoors the denuclearization of the peninsula but if we look at it through politic lances do you thing regional powers like russia like china actually want pyongyang to fully disarm absolutely because it's very often is under stuart bugs it russian government has over it's been deadly against nuclear north korea and this a or even more is a predictable to china you know all russia is now flooded visit and ten american feelings so that if you will say vows they gave the life history as their good guys they have supported them not because in the end of the day first of all a russia b.

economy vice the cousin countries needs nuclear superiority even more and it has no interest in merchants or for new nuclear powers because that i view because pickets know its last year tomorrow it may be scary as they are discussing a serious the vietnam and then more nuclear power with iran vilest military significant russia becomes and its only part of the story and as a part of the story is just all good proliferation of north koreans norm to be part of her rate as well but the counter argument to that would be that the north korean partial nuclear arsenal provides security guarantees not only to the regime itself but also to its neighbors against a military intervention to break out of a major war on their borders and as you pointed out in one of your recent articles nobody wants to see a replay. all of the libyan events in east asia so my question she is where there

north korea having a short nuclear stick not a fully developed but some some blunts of a nuclear weapon doesn't dod provide a certain guarantee to both russia and china that the united states would not intervene recklessly on their borders no security guarantees for russia are provided by the russia nuclear and missile force or spirit all as a countries if they develop nuclear weapons is a great in the long run increase in stability i'm not saying that we can do anything about north korea nuclear weapons i'm just saying that from the point of view of the russian the national interest it's not a good news look now it's about but if north korea becomes nuclear it will become all the logical for south korea to warn your korea as well because yes now. and probably believe they need nuclear weapons for defense but the as far as i get it was the north korea each invaded in one thousand fifty and it still official line

is. does not exist so i will study is in the u.s. occupied territory to be eventually liberated it's ruled my cheapie did but if according to the north. this is a situation sort of what should not do probably develop nukes and if that happens what about japan what about what about vietnam all this countries have a lot of money is australia elop nukes by the way most cases against china and this is it is only by chinese so i'm happy about north korean nuclear program russia is a bit unhappy chad is seriously unhappy because if it's not stopped in ten feet twenty s. time channel you'll find itself surrounded by small really hostile countries and beatrice reason to hate cherry now going back to many centuries and each country has a nuclear weapons professor. i heard you say that the north korean regime is likely to be accommodating as long as it believes that the u.s.

administration could be reckless enough to launch a strike against said despite all the potential ramifications for south korea as well as for the region in general how much mileage do you think the trombetta ministration can get out of it what is the maximum that they can potentially extort from pyongyang by using these scare tactics. would say a lot of what they heard all of the blogs it's basically is that they can get much more than i areally stickily expect because. the north koreans a century except it was a joint military exercises will behalves it's the same situation i just discussed and you're talking about does a beauty of the nuclear program because if they have basically is a noise they can do nothing about joint military exercises non-sale is for the last few months it did look like that the future deal if you include it just something

about the scale or continuation of franklin c. of the joint exercises and recently at north scary as essential a set military exercises cavies us we don't care we don't worry about it the she is was a pretty mess of concessions so i would say that say about a year ago three years ago i used to say and many others observers said well soon or later north koreans probably will see and start talking but they're going to extract a lot of every scene from the united states all interested parties now it seems that the. major condition is just to make sure that americans will not start shooting second to have some of their recent sanctions lifted as soon as possible before it will strike the economy and they're not going to port much more demands for the time being. professor linkov there is a lot of discussion in the united states especially among those who do not support

the idea of the presidential some that would be encouraging north korea for its bad behavior but i think the relevant question here is also whether it would encourage trump for his bad behavior because you mentioned that he's policy of essentially blackmail has worked so far that some of indeed takes place. wouldn't that make bellicosity on. a more acceptable form of foreign policy i know that for the time being both russia and china are endorsing the idea of the meeting between kim and i suppose they would be just as happy to have trump threatened in the same manner last time i chipped russia and china has much more force and much more they're much more capable or biting back and nobody would trade.