Britain was 'warned of Russian meddling in Chagos deal' as Putin officials attempted to 'undermine UK interests'

A former Whitehall source said Putin was actively encouraging the case for Mauritiamn sovereignty over the Islands.

The source claimed Russia did not care about Mauritius, and was doing this solely to undermine the UK and make the country look weak, according to The Telegraph.

They added: “Everyone who needed to know was made aware of this. They have had the warnings, there is no question, and they have chosen not to take them seriously.”

“It is absolutely extraordinary that the Government has not taken two and two and made a very obvious four.”

Sources from the Foreign Office have said they were aware of the tactics that “malign actors” have been using in relation to the deal.

However they asserted that these were “taken into full consideration when the treaty was being negotiated and are why we ensured robust security provisions in the treaty.”

Sir Keir Starmer is said to be looking to sign a treaty to give Mauritius control of the Indian Ocean archipelago before Donald Trump becomes president of the US in January.

This agreement means the UK would give up its claim on over 60 islands and the surrounding ocean.

Britain has said the deal would safeguard the Island Diego Garcia, where the military base is located, because the land would be leased to the UK for 99 years.

The former head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, said that Russia’s move to influence the Chagos deal “fits their playbook.”

He added: “Bear in mind that Russia sees themselves as in a state of war with the West. They are exploiting and opening up new issues and problems for the West. This fits that type of activity.”

A Ukrainian MP within Volodymyr Zelensky’s party said that the UK’s support of Ukraine has made them Russia’s enemy.

“It’s very typical for Russia to undermine global order and to sow chaos in the world, including the UK,” he said.

“The UK is supporting the rule of law and Ukraine, which makes the UK Russia’s enemy. Therefore Russia is using each opportunity to undermine stability and the UK interests.”

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the primary goal in negotiations was to protect the UK-US military base Diego Garcia.

He said: “We would not have signed off an agreement that compromised any of our security interests or those of the US and our allies and partners.”