Sergey Lavrov questioned the future of the UK at a youth conference, saying he did not know what would become of Great Britain. He linked that remark to calls for referenda among the Celts, including Wales, Ireland and Scotland.
Lavrov also said, according to The Times: "I do not know what will become of the country called Great Britain" and "The Celts — Wales, Ireland, Scotland — are now seeking to hold referenda." He added: "We do not advocate the expulsion of any of the permanent members of the security council. Although, of course, the scale of the British Empire, when it first took its seat in the UN security council at the organisation's founding, has, naturally, diminished to the utmost degree."
Plaid Cymru draws a line
Plaid Cymru said Wales' constitutional future was a matter for the people of Wales and not for the Kremlin to endorse, oppose or exploit. A Plaid spokesman called Russia an existential threat to modern democracy and said Plaid Cymru believes firmly in the right of nations to determine their own future through democratic means.
The spokesman said that principle applies to Wales and to Ukraine. The same response also pointed to a memorandum with the SNP and Sinn Féin as being about strengthening democracy, cooperation and standing up for the interests of the nations and communities.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
The comments landed after the leaders of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland met for a summit at the Senedd earlier this month and signed an agreement saying Westminster had no right to block democracy. The leaders said Westminster's time is coming to an end, a line that gave Lavrov's remarks a political backdrop beyond a single conference speech.
For Wales, the immediate practical point is that Rhun Iorwerth has declined to give a timetable for a referendum. He said last weekend there was no turning back on the independence journey, leaving the argument over timing open even as the constitutional language around it has become more explicit.
Yekaterinburg and the Russian state
Craig Murray attended the international youth festival in Yekaterinburg after revealing he had been flown to the city by the Russian state. He said the meeting between the first ministers had been featured with striking prominence in Russian media, which fits the way Lavrov's remarks tied domestic constitutional debate in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to Russia's own diplomatic messaging.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council are China, France, Russia, the UK and the US, a fact that sits behind Lavrov's comments on influence inside the council. The direct reply from Plaid Cymru, and Rhun Iorwerth's refusal to name a referendum timetable, leave the argument moving on two tracks at once: constitutional pressure at home and a foreign-policy reading of it abroad.
