March 4th 2025.
A recently discovered document from the Cabinet Office has provided a glimpse into a time when the UK actively sought to strengthen its relationship with Vladimir Putin's regime. The file reveals that the UK government had committed over £35 million to various projects in Russia, all with the aim of building a strong bond between the two countries. These projects were supported by none other than Tony Blair's administration, and they were considered to be quite impressive.
Among the initiatives that caught the eye were programs to retrain military officers for civilian life, establish 'cyber-centres', and provide management training under the name of the Russian president. The details of these projects were presented to cabinet ministers as they prepared for Putin's visit to the UK in December 2001, where he would hold discussions with Blair at the Prime Minister's traditional country residence, Chequers.
This attempt at using 'soft power' to strengthen ties with Russia ultimately failed, as Putin went on to order military aggression against Ukraine in 2014, followed by a full-scale attack three years later. The recently released document, which used to be confidential, is now being scrutinized at a time when foreign aid is under increased scrutiny, with leaders like Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer cutting their nations' spending.
It is worth noting that Blair had been known to conduct a 'charm offensive' to win over Putin, despite concerns about the Kremlin's military aggression beyond its borders. The projects between the UK and Russia included training Russian military and civilian peacekeepers as part of a 'Conflict Prevention Fund', as well as building 'civil society capacity' in the North Caucasus.
In a section titled 'helping the Russian military adapt to a post-Soviet world through an officer resettlement programme', the file details how over 12,000 officers were retrained since 1995, with an estimated cost of £2 million per year. The program was expected to run until 2003, and according to the document, it aimed to highlight interesting and eye-catching activities, rather than being exhaustive.
The document, which was marked 'restricted - confidential library, Cabinet', goes on to mention a variety of other activities, including the establishment of British Council 'cyber-centres' in multiple Russian cities, providing new IT services to young Russians. Another notable initiative was the 'Russian President's Management Training Initiative', which aimed to improve the performance of newly graduated managers from the federation through UK attachments.
The former Department for International Development (DfID) had also pledged £5.1 million to support this project between September 1997 and December 2001, according to the briefing. Additionally, DfID had also earmarked £25 million for HIV and AIDS-related projects over the next five to seven years, with a focus on targeting vulnerable young people in Russia. The document highlights the UK government's efforts to foster bilateral ties with the Kremlin through a range of projects.
The document also mentions initiatives led by the British Council, such as 'multi-cultural, multi-ethnic education' in Sochi, a popular resort city. It also briefly mentions 'partnership programs between UK and Russian remand prisons', providing a snapshot of a vastly different era in UK-Russia relations.
In recent years, there has been a great deal of interest in the relationship between Blair and Putin during the early 2000s. Media organization Declassified UK, which covers UK foreign policy, has found evidence of a 'wide-ranging charm offensive' launched by Blair to win over his Russian counterpart. According to Director Mark Curtis, this was largely motivated by the interests of BP, which had become a strategic partner to the Russian regime and had extracted billions worth of oil under Putin.
In a previous release in 2022, it was revealed that Blair had advocated for Putin to be given a seat at the world's 'top table', hoping to encourage him to adopt Western values. In the papers, Blair described Putin as a Russian patriot who was sensitive to Russia's 'loss of respect' abroad. However, Blair's stance on Putin has since changed, with the former Labour leader stating in 2023 that 'Russian aggression in Ukraine must be defeated.'
Blair also shared his own recollection of his meetings with the Russian president, where he attempted to reason with him over allowing Ukraine to choose whether to join NATO or not. However, Putin responded by saying, 'It's not their choice, they're with us.' Just days after this exchange, BP announced that it would be exiting Russia and selling its stake in the country's oil giant, Rosneft.
The release of this document has sparked interest in the UK's relationship with Russia, and if you have a story to share about this topic, you can contact josh.email.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
