In a significant development amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, Russia's foreign intelligence director has publicly confirmed direct contact with the United Kingdom's top spy. The revelation comes as European Union leaders gather for critical talks on a contentious plan to finance Ukraine's war effort using seized Russian state funds.
A 'Lengthy' Call Between Spy Chiefs
Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), stated that he recently held a "rather lengthy telephone conversation" with the newly appointed chief of the UK's Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. The comments were reported by the Russian state news agency Tass on Thursday, 18 December 2025.
Naryshkin identified the MI6 chief as Blaise Metreweli, who officially assumed leadership of the service on 1 October this year. The Russian spymaster added that intelligence officers from both nations continue to work officially in each other's capitals, with Russian personnel in London and MI6 officers based in Moscow.
Sky News military analyst Michael Clarke interpreted the public disclosure as a strategic move by Moscow. He suggested it indicates Naryshkin "has his own agenda" and that Russia is "trying to imply that the Brits are somehow appealing to them... because of the negotiations going on in Washington."
EU Funding Talks Stall Over Fears of Retaliation
The spy chief's comments surfaced concurrently with a high-stakes EU summit in Brussels. Leaders convened to debate a proposal to use profits from frozen Russian sovereign assets to provide a substantial loan to Ukraine.
The plan, however, has hit a significant obstacle. Belgium, where the vast majority of the frozen assets are held, has voiced strong opposition. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever warned that the loan plan "drastically increases the risk of Russian retaliation."
He emphasised the disproportionate burden on his country, stating, "It's not acceptable that this happens to Belgium alone. If we jump, we jump together." The frozen assets in question total approximately €190 billion (£166bn), most of which is held by the Brussels-based financial clearing house, Euroclear.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the concerns, acknowledging the risks but arguing for decisive action. "Ukraine has the right to this money because Russia is destroying us," he said. In a social media post, he called the potential decision "one of the clearest and most morally justified decisions that could ever be made."
Parallel Diplomatic Moves and Military Posturing
The intelligence and financial discussions are unfolding against a backdrop of other strategic manoeuvres. In the United States, President Donald Trump has been urging Ukraine to expedite efforts to secure a peace deal, claiming a resolution is "close."
"Every time they take too much time, Russia changes their mind," Trump remarked. His envoys are scheduled to meet with a senior adviser to Vladimir Putin in Miami on Saturday to discuss a proposed US peace agreement.
Simultaneously, Russia has continued its military posturing. Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko announced that Russia has deployed its latest nuclear-capable missile system, the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile system, to Belarus. The system reportedly arrived on Wednesday and is entering combat duty. Russia has previously stationed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the territory it used as a launchpad for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The confluence of events—a rare public dialogue between rival intelligence chiefs, stalled EU negotiations over Russian funds, US-led peace talks, and fresh nuclear deployments—paints a picture of a conflict entering a complex and volatile diplomatic phase, where traditional espionage and high-stakes statecraft are increasingly interwoven.
