ON a day when the war of words between the UK Government and the Kremlin escalated still further, Scots intending to visit Russia were assured their applications would be processed normally – unlike those emanating from England.

Andrey Pritsepov, Russia’s consul general in Scotland, spoke after he condemned Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s comparison of Vladimir Putin’s promotion of football’s World Cup in Russia this summer to Adolf Hitler’s propaganda at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

Johnson said on Wednesday that he thought “it is an emetic prospect, frankly, to think of Putin glorying in this sporting event”, and he was later supported by Downing Street.

Pritsepov said yesterday that Johnson’s remarks were “disgusting and unacceptable” adding they were not worthy of a foreign minister of any country. Asked on BBC what Johnson should do, the consul general said: “Maybe it is time for him to go.”

Pritsepov revealed he had held “very constructive” talks with the Scottish Government, which has supported Theresa May’s stance against Russia since the Salisbury nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. They were last night reported to have suffered brain damage. Police Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who was injured after being called out to the incident involving the Skripals, was released from hospital last night.

Prisnetsov said Russia and the UK had agreed “that we will talk to each other, that we would act positively, and that we will try to de-escalate the stand-off.”

Following Russia’s decision to hinder the visa process for people travelling from the UK, the consul general said that would not apply “to residents of Scotland because we are providing all consular support”.

Prisnetsov added: “As to England and Wales, my ambassador has warned that the waiting time could double.”

The consul general was echoing the words of his boss, Russia’s Ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko. He said Johnson’s remarks comparing Putin and Hitler were “unacceptable.”

Yakovenko said: “Nobody has the right to insult the Russian people, who defeated Nazism and lost more than 25 million people, by comparing our country to Nazi Germany.

“We are not buying this. First we have to see the evidence and see the conclusions.”

Also yesterday, Prime Minister Theresa May warned a summit of EU ministers in Brussels about the threat of Russian aggression.

She said: “It’s clear that the Russian threat does not respect borders. The incident in Salisbury was part of a pattern of Russian aggression against Europe and its near neighbours, from the Western Balkans to the Middle East.”

In a written statement released on his behalf, police officer Bailey said: “People ask me how I am feeling but there are really no words to explain how I feel right now. Surreal is the word that keeps cropping up – and it really has been completely surreal. I have been so very overwhelmed by the support, cards and messages I have received.”

In another development, judge Mr Justice Williams at London’s Court of Protection gave permission for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to take blood samples from the Skripals after hearing they were sedated and may be brain damaged.