India, June 18 -- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday accused the crew of a Russian warship of acting recklessly when they fired warning shots near a British yacht in the English Channel, though he downplayed the seriousness of the incident.

The owners of the 40-foot (12-metre) sailboat Bright Future say the shots were fired early Tuesday morning when they encountered a Russian warship while crossing the English Channel to Cherbourg in France. Russia says the crew of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired shots into the air after the sailboat failed to respond to warnings to change course.

No one was injured, but the incident underscored heightened tensions between the UK and Russia.

Speaking at the G7 summit in France, Starmer ...