Jeremy Hunt calls for tougher EU sanctions against Russia to stand ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with US

Mr Hunt makes his first visit to US as foreign secretary as Washington prepares to impose fresh sanctions against Moscow after Salisbury nerve agent attack

The foreign secretary will urge the EU member states to ensure the allies speak with ‘one voice’ against transgressions by Moscow (AFP/Getty)

Jeremy Hunt is to challenge the EU to impose tougher sanctions against Russia as he urges the bloc to stand with Britain and the US against the “malign” and “aggressive” behaviour of Moscow.

The remarks come as the US State Department prepares to impose new sweeping sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s administration after claiming Russia had violated international law with a nerve agent attack on the streets of Britain.

In his first visit to Washington as foreign secretary, Mr Hunt will urge the EU member states to ensure the allies speak with “one voice” against transgressions by Moscow, “whenever and wherever they occur, from the streets of Salisbury to the fate of Crimea”.

Mr Hunt will also repeat his claim that a no-deal Brexit represents one of the greatest threats to European unity and suggest a “messy divorce” would create a fissure in relations between European allies that “would take a generation to heal”.

Referring to Russia, he will say: “Aggressive and malign behaviour undermines the international order that keeps us safe. Of course, we must engage with Moscow, but we must also be blunt: Russia’s foreign policy under President Putin has made the world a more dangerous place.

“And today the United Kingdom asks its allies to go further by calling on the European Union to ensure its sanctions against Russia are comprehensive, and that we truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the US.”

EU nations including Germany and France were among dozens of countries that expelled Russian diplomats following the nerve agent attack, but some have since reached out to Mr Putin, with French president Emmanuel Macron travelling to St Petersburg to call on Russia to work “hand in hand” with Europe, and Italy questioning whether sanctions imposed over the 2014 annexation of Crimea should continue.

The further sanctions from the US are expected to take effect by 22 August and include the imposition of restrictions on the exports of sensitive technologies to Russia – followed by “more draconian” measures if Moscow fails to respond within 90 days to requests that it will not use chemical weapons in the future.

The Russian embassy in the US denounced the move earlier this month and rejected the “far-fetched” accusation it was behind the poisoning of the former spy Sergei Skrpial and his daughter Yulia in March this year using the novichok nerve agent.

In his speech at the US Institute of Peace, Mr Hunt will also urge China to be supportive and criticise the decision not to oppose the annexation of Crimea or support measures aimed at strengthening the ban on chemical weapons.

He will say: “The second challenge is the changing east-west economic balance of power. By 2030 China is forecast to overtake America as the world’s biggest economy. But with economic power comes political responsibility.

“And while China has been vocal in its support for some features of the existing system, particularly elements that enable it to trade freely with the world, it has been less supportive in other areas, refusing, for example, to oppose Russia’s annexation of Crimea, or to support measures to strengthen the international ban on chemical weapons.

“Our hope must be for consistent, strong support from China for the international rules-based order – and the key will be to get the right balance of competition and cooperation so that we can secure shared objectives wherever possible.”

The foreign secretary will then address Brexit as the government prepares to release a tranche of documents on Thursday that will include advice to business, public bodies and citizens if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal with Brussels.

Mr Hunt, who has previously suggested the only person to benefit from a no-deal would be the Russian president, will say: “One of the biggest threats to European unity would be a chaotic no-deal Brexit.

“Britain would, of course, find a way to prosper and we have faced many greater challenges in our history. But the risk of a messy divorce, as opposed to the friendship we seek, would be a fissure in relations between European allies that would take a generation to heal – a geostrategic error for Europe at an extremely vulnerable time in our history.

“So, as I have been saying to European governments, now is the time for the European Commission to engage with an open mind with the fair and constructive proposals made by the prime minister.”

The foreign secretary’s three-day visit to the United States will also see him hold talks with senior Trump administration officials including secretary of state Mike Pompeo, chief of staff John Kelly and Jared Kushner, the president’s adviser and son-in-law, Downing Street said.

Among the discussion topics are Iran, North Korea, Syria, Yemen and the Middle East peace process, the Foreign Office said.

He will then travel to New York, where on Thursday he is due to address the United Nations Security Council and discuss the fight against Isis. He is also due to discuss humanitarian issues with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.