‘New frontline everywhere’: UK spy chief warns Russia poses ‘acute threat’ to Europe

The United Kingdom’s spy chief, Blaise Metreweli, has warned that Russia poses an “acute threat” to the West, claiming that Moscow is plotting arson and sabotage operations, assassinations, and cyber and drone attacks across Europe.

“The new frontline is everywhere. The export of chaos is a feature, not a bug, in the Russian approach to international engagement," Metreweli, who became Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service’s first woman chief.

In her inaugural address at MI6 headquarters, Metreweli adopted a stark tone, warning of a “new age of uncertainty” in which Russia and other hostile states deploy a range of tools, from cyber capabilities to disinformation, to foment division and undermine Western democratic societies.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said that the end of the Russia-Ukraine war is closer than ever after officials said that beefed-up security guarantees for Kyiv had progressed the peace talks.

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“I think we’re closer now than we have been, ever, and we’ll see what we can do,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.

The US assessment followed two days of talks in Berlin, involving officials from Europe, Ukraine, and the United States. Trump was represented by his foreign envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The US President called during a dinner between Witkoff and Kushner and the European officials in Berlin on Monday. After his discussions with his representatives, Trump said, “Things are seemingly going well, but we’ve been saying that for a long time, and it’s a difficult one.”

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Trump described the conversations as “very good”, adding that he also had a “long talk” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also said that he has been in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

About 90 per cent of the issues between Russia and Ukraine have been resolved, a US official told CNN, noting that territorial concessions remain a key sticking point. The official added that the US side had put forward “thought-provoking” proposals to help break the deadlock, including the creation of an “economic free zone.”