Richard Balfe is a UK politician and life peer. He was a Labour Party MEP until 2002. Based on his political activities he is suspected of pro-Russian viewpoints. On 22 June 2023, Balfe took part in a party in London arranged by Andrei Kelin, the Russian Ambassador to the UK, on the occasion of Russia Day. The Russian ambassador delivered a speech at the event in which he attempted to justify the invasion of Ukraine and also slammed the British government for funding Kyiv. Balfe, meanwhile, talked with the Russian military attaché, a Russian military intelligence official. The Lord was assured that Ukraine would negotiate an accord on Putin’s terms.
Also, Balfe demanded clarification from the British administration in March 2023, on impact assessment for the decision to provide depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine. He questioned the government on what had been accomplished in the Russia-Ukraine negotiations. According to critics, Balfe is active as he facilitates the Russian agenda and lobbies for the Kremlin’s stance in the fight. He told the Russian TASS state propaganda agency, back in 2018, that he advocated the self-determination of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as Russia colonised them following the 2008 war against Georgia.
Lord Balfe is therefore a faithful defender of Russia’s stakes within the post-Soviet borders. As a parliamentarian, Balfe often refers to Lord Skidelsky, which indirectly demonstrates a common and coordinated stance on foreign policy issues. Balfe utilises the Kremlin’s narratives in his remarks, the one, in particular, that the United States was engaged in the outbreak of fighting in Ukraine.
For example, echoing current world affairs, he stated:
“All effort is devoted to exploiting differences, that is why instead of seeking a peaceful solution in Ukraine we are fighting a proxy war. I am told that the US purpose is the collapse of the Russian Federation which would be a tragedy for Europe.”
Moreover, Balfe contended that the Labour Party’s rise to authority in the UK would not contribute to inducting a dialogue between London and Moscow or ending the dispute in Ukraine. He also stressed that the West will have to “come to terms with the reality,” realising that Crimea and Donbas are now Kremlin constituencies.
