Russia’s UK Embassy trolls Britain and US with bizarre poem mocking Theresa May warning Donald Trump to beware of Vladimir Putin
The Tory leader used her maiden US speech to warn the new President to steer clear of the Russians
RUSSIAN diplomats have opened a poetic war of words with PM Theresa May after she warned Donald Trump and the Republican party to beware of Vladimir Putin.
Mrs May's concerns drew a snipey response from Putin's embassy in London which posted a ditty on its Twitter feed harking back to the 'Cold War.'
It read: 'Engage but beware, Prime Minister said, As far as we're aware, Cold War was long dead.'
It then followed the tweet with the hashtag #PoemsAboutTrumpAndMay.
The Tory leader used her major speech in the US to warn the new President and his party to steer clear of Putin.
But it's clear her words touched a raw nerve somewhere in the Kremlin.
Mrs May said: "When it comes to Russia, as so often it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who - during negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev - used to abide by the adage 'trust but verify'. With President Putin, my advice is to 'engage but beware'.
"There is nothing inevitable about conflict between Russia and the West. And nothing unavoidable about retreating to the days of the Cold War. But we should engage with Russia from a position of strength.
"And we should build the relationships, systems and processes that make cooperation more likely than conflict - and that, particularly after the illegal annexation of Crimea, give assurance to Russia's neighbouring states that their security is not in question.
"We should not jeopardise the freedoms that President Reagan and Mrs Thatcher brought to Eastern Europe by accepting President Putin's claim that it is now in his sphere of influence."
The embassy was among a number of Twitter users marking the PM's White House meeting with Trump through poetry, under the hashtag .
The spat came as it was revealed Putin and Trump will speak directly for the first time since the US President's inauguration in a telephone call on Saturday.
The planned telephone call between the two leaders has raised nervousness in Europe about the possibility of Mr Trump offering to ease US sanctions against Russia.
Trump's line on Russia is emerging as a major point of difference between the new administration and traditional US allies in Europe, including the UK.
Some Russian diplomats believe Britain and other European governments may try to sabotage a new rapprochement between the Kremlin and the White House.
Angela Merkel is also likely to speak with President Trump on Saturday.
The German Chancellor has been a strong supporter of the EU and US sanctions regime imposed on Russia following the invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014.
She is expected to push for the EU to maintain its sanctions even if Mr Trump moves to cancel US ones.
Petro Poroshenko, the president of Ukraine, is also planning to fly to Berlin to consult with Mrs Merkel on Monday.