Relations with Russian intelligence ‘still frozen’

The Prime Minister also stressed that the Government was not giving up on attempts to extradite the UK’s prime suspect in the killing of the dissident five years ago, ex-KGB agent Andrei Lugovoy.

However, he insisted the two governments could still improve business and political ties even though the dispute was no closer to being resolved.

Mr Cameron was speaking at a press conference alongside President Dmitry Medvedev during his one-day visit to Moscow, the first by a British leader since 2005.

Mr Medvedev said the anniversary of the September 11 attacks emphasised the need for countries to co-operate to tackle terrorism. “In this regard I believe that there is a need to reconstitute the contacts not only between the law enforcement agencies but between the special services,” he said.

But Mr Cameron responded: “We haven’t changed the arrangements between our security services, which were frozen after the Litvinenko issue. That is not being discussed as something that is going to change.

“But I think that we can talk about how we co-operate in terms of combating criminality, and how our police services, our serious and organised crime (agencies) work together in the future.”

Mr Cameron’s visit focused on strengthening business links and improving conditions for UK firms in the country.

BP chairman Bob Dudley was among 24 senior executives travelling with the Premier, and some £215m of deals have been sealed, creating 500 UK jobs.

However, the leaders’ joint appearance was dominated by questions about the poisoning in London of Mr Litvinenko, which sent relations into the deep freeze.

Challenged over how he could simply put aside the unresolved murder, Mr Cameron said: “It’s not parking an issue, just recognising there’s a disagreement, that hasn’t changed... We should work on our relationship beyond it.”