Defense Secretary warns UK it is unlikely to send troops if Russia invades Ukraine

[ad_1]

Russian Defense Minister Ben Wallace said it was “highly unlikely” that Britain or its allies would send troops to defend Ukraine if it was invaded by its neighbor Russia.

US intelligence claims that Russia has stationed about 70,000 troops near the border of Ukraine and began planning a possible invasion as soon as early next year.

Wallace and Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Yuryovich Reznikov issued a joint statement on November 16 saying they were “concerned” about the Russian military build-up.

We can all help with capacity building but to some extent Ukraine is not a member of NATO which is why we are doing our best diplomatically to tell Putin not to

Ben Wallace

“The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine and will continue its long-term determination to support them,” the statement added.

But in an interview with The Spectator, Wallace said Ukraine “is not a member of NATO, so it is highly unlikely that anyone would send troops to Ukraine to challenge Russia.”

“We should not deceive people as we do. The Ukrainians are aware of this,” he added in comments reported by The Times before the interview was published.

Asked if this meant Ukraine was on its own, Wallace said: “We can all help with capacity building but to some extent Ukraine is not a member of NATO, which is why we are doing everything we can to tell Putin not to do this.”

Boris Johnson spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin on Monday (Frank Augstein/PA)

(PA wire)

It comes days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Russian leader Vladimir Putin that there would be “serious consequences” for Russia if it invaded Ukraine.

The Prime Minister spoke by phone to Mr Putin on Monday to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and to warn that any destabilizing action by Moscow would be a “strategic mistake”.

The Kremlin has denied preparing for an invasion and accused the government in Kiev of stoking tensions in the region by deploying new weapons.

The two countries have been at loggerheads since 2014, when Russian forces annexed Crimea and backed a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

[ad_2]