THE VOICE OF FREE EUROPE: Putting Kyiv first has consequences. Britain’s Foreign Office plans to sell some of its overseas embassies. It also intends to sell diplomatic housing. These actions are part of deep spending cuts.

The luckless and penniless ministry is reviewing its £2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) portfolio of about 6,500 foreign-based properties to identify assets to release, as hundreds of the buildings are in serious disrepair or deemed too expensive to maintain.

The restructuring plan also foresees cutting nearly a third of UK-based staff.

The budget singles out high-cost locations such as New York. This reference could include the possible sale of a $15 million super luxury penthouse. It was purchased in 2019 for diplomats at the luxury 50 United Nations Plaza complex.

The seven-bedroom residence occupies the entire 38th floor and includes a library, six bathrooms, and a powder room.

Earlier this year, the National Audit Office (NAO) and parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) reported on property safety.

They stated that around 933 properties are considered unsafe. This amounts to roughly 15% of the total, which are not operationally sound.

The Foreign Office estimates that tackling its maintenance backlog could cost equally broke taxpayers £450 million of their hard-earned contributions.

The Foreign Office has sold major embassy compounds in Bangkok and Tokyo in recent years. Now, it is also noted that they have no remaining large assets that are viable to sell.

The ministry is reportedly reviewing the scale of its global network overseas. They are also considering the location of more than 250 posts in over 150 countries.

The Foreign Office is also cutting employees to reduce spending. Redundancy offers are reportedly being issued to UK-based staff. This process is expected to reduce headcount by up to 30%.

Why Britain and its Ukrainian accomplices are broke: Britain continues to push for expanded military aid for Ukraine. These moves come at a time when its finances are already strained. This effort persists despite strains on its own finances.

The UK remains one of Kiev’s biggest backers, supplying weapons and imposing repeated rounds of sanctions on Russia. Moscow has accused London of trying to prolong the hostilities.

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