“I think there’s a deliberate aim to demonize Russia at the moment, it’s as though they need to search around for an enemy,” Lord Balfe told RT UK. He was speaking about the general anti-Russia media and political climate, and the US Treasury Department’s so-called ‘Kremlin List’ in particular.

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In late January, US authorities released a list of 210 Russian officials and businessmen who could potentially be targeted by new sanctions. It included the entire government and people from the Forbes list of billionaires.

“The level of mistrust and suspicion is completely now out of hand,” said Balfe. “There are a lot of problems between our two countries and indeed between the East and the West that need sorting out.”

Balfe suggested Russia and the West restart a meaningful dialogue to reduce tensions, referring to the 1975 Helsinki negotiations and a declaration that attempted to improve relations between the Communist bloc and the West.

“We need another Helsinki, we need to sit down and talk to each other and work our way out of the problems not constantly be deepening them,” said Balfe.

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When asked if he himself was worried about ending up on some kind of sanction lists for appearing on RT, Balfe said his aim was to “improve relations between Western Europe and the Russian Federation and the CIS.”

“My agenda is to try and promote dialogue and I do it on my terms, not anyone else's.”