Ukraine war: Don’t be ‘unduly alarmed’ by Putin’s nuclear threat, says Ben Wallace

[ad_1]

D

efence Secretary Ben Wallace has urged Britons not to be “unduly alarmed” at Vladimir Putin raising the prospect of a nuclear attack which he stressed was a “big attempt to distract” from the setbacks which have hit the Kremlin’s invasion plans in Ukraine.

The Russian president sent a shudder around the world with his nuclear threat issued by telling his army chiefs to put these appallingly destructive weapons on higher alert for use.

But Mr Wallace told Times Radio: “The United Kingdom has a powerful very high readiness deterrent, the continued at sea deterrent…somewhere as we speak… somewhere deep below the seas is our deterrent and because of that people in the United Kingdom should not be unduly alarmed.”

Getty Images

Earlier, speaking on Sky News, he stressed: “The language that President Putin has used does not actually link to anything of a Russian readiness procedure.

READ MORE

“It’s really we assess him putting the deterrent into the communications space, reminding people that he has a deterrent, and it is also about distracting the world and the public from what he is actually doing in Ukraine.”

He added: “Of course, Nato has a nuclear deterrent. The United Kingdom is Nato’s nuclear deterrent, but obviously we are joined by France and the United States.

“We keep our readiness very high, that is why we have a continued at sea deterrent.

“But what we should not really forget that this is a big attempt to distract away from his troubles in Ukraine by just deploying into the media space these phrases.”

Mr Wallace told LBC Radio how his son had asked him about the prospect of a nuclear war.

“Dad, says no, we are not going to have a nuclear war.

“What I’ve said to him is President wants to distract from what has gone wrong in Ukraine and wants us all to be reminded that he has a nuclear deterrent.”

‘Crucial 24 hours’

Boris Johnson called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “disastrous misbegotten venture by President Putin” as the Kremlin’s forces continue to face fierce resistance on the ground.

Russia invades Ukraine – In pictures

People stand in line in front of a supermarket while smoke bills over the town of Vasylkiv just outside Kiev

AFP via Getty Images

A father hugs his daughter as the family reunite after fleeing conflict in Ukraine, at the Medyka border crossing, in Poland

AP

People paint the figures of Soviet soldiers using Ukranian flag colors at the base of the Soviet Army monument in Sofi

AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian soldiers take positions outside a military facility as two cars burn, in a street in Kyiv, Ukraine

AP

Smoke and flames rise over during the shelling in Kyiv, as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine

REUTERS

A Ukrainian soldier walks past debris of a burning military truck, on a street in Kyiv, Ukraine

AP

A Ukrainian serviceman reacts while holding a weapon in Kharkiv, Ukraine

REUTERS

Natali Sevriukova reacts next to her house following a rocket attack the city of Kyiv, Ukraine

AP

Servicemen of the Ukrainian National Guard take positions in central Kyiv, Ukraine

REUTERS

People rest in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine

AP

Firefighters inspect the damage at a building following a missile attack on the city of Kyiv, Ukraine

AP

A destroyed BMP Armored Personnel Carrier

Land forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen as he visits the border troops in Donetsk, Ukraine

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

A man clears debris at a damaged residential building at Koshytsa Street, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where a military shell allegedly hit,

AFP via Getty Images

A view shows destroyed Russian Army multiple missile launchers with the letter “Z” painted on their sides in Kharkiv, Ukraine

REUTERS

A woman walks in front of Russian armored vehicles parked at a railway station in the southern Russian Rostov region

AFP via Getty Images

A multi-story building burning in southeast Kyiv. This is in the opposite side of the Dnieper river.

Handout

A pictures emerges apparently of attack in Kyiv amid claims a warplane has been downed

handout

Ukrainian soldiers take positions in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine

AP

Rescuers work at the crash site of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Antonov aircraft, which, according to the State Emergency Service, was shot down in Kyiv region, Ukraine

via REUTERS

Police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Moscow

AFP via Getty Images

People stand with placards and Ukrainian and Union flags at a demonstration in central London

AFP via Getty Images

A woman clears debris at a damaged residential building at Koshytsa Street, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where a military shell allegedly hit,

AFP via Getty Images

People lie in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter in Kyiv

AP

President Joe Biden listens to questions from reporters while speaking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the East Room of the White House,

AP

A man sits outside his destroyed building after bombings on the eastern Ukraine town of Chuguiv

AFP via Getty Images

A wounded woman is seen as airstrike damages an apartment complex outside of Kharkiv, Ukraine

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Firefighters work on a fire on a building after bombings on the eastern Ukraine town of Chuguiv

AFP via Getty Images

Chuhuiv military airfield in Kharkiv outskirts

Social media / east2west news

Damaged radar arrays and other equipment is seen at Ukrainian military facility outside Mariupol, Ukraine

AP

Cars drive across a field to leave Ukraine

REUTERS

Tanks move into the city, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine in Mariupol

REUTERS

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in Moscow, Russia

AP

Inhabitants of Kyiv leave the city following pre-offensive missile strikes of the Russian armed forces and Belarus

Getty Images

Black smoke rises from a military airport in Chuguyev near Kharkiv

AFP via Getty Images

People are seen outside the cordoned off area around the remains of a shell in a street in Kyiv

AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy chairs an urgent meeting with the leadership of the government, representatives of the defense sector and the economic bloc, in Kyiv, Ukraine

via REUTERS

People take shelter in a subway station, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine

REUTERS

Police officers inspect the remains of a missile that fell in the street in Kyiv

REUTERS

Ukrainians demonstrate outside the Russian Embassy against the recent invasion in London

Getty Images

Ahead of the United Nations holding a rare emergency meeting of its General Assembly over the crisis, the Prime Minister also told the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Britain would do all it could get more arms to his military.

Air raid sirens sounded across Kyiv shortly before 6am on Monday, Mr Zelensky warned the next 24 hours would be crucial in his nation’s battle against Putin’s invasion which is already believed to have already claimed thousands of lives, including children and other civilians.

Mr Zelensky told Mr Johnson the next 24 hours would a “crucial period” for his country.

A Ukrainian delegation is due to meet the Russians “without precondition” on Monday on the border with Belarus, although Mr Zelensky has indicated he sees little prospect of any meaningful dialogue.

In the meantime, Russian and Ukrainian forces have again been engaged in heavy fighting ahead of the widely expected assault on the capital.

Ukrainian defenders have put up stiff resistance that appeared to slow the invasion, but a US official cautioned that far stronger Russian forces inevitably will learn and adapt their tactics as Russia’s assault goes on.

Russian forces unleashed a barrage of bombing on key cities on Sunday night.

But both Chernihiv and Kharkiv, as well as Kyiv, remain under Ukrainian control but heavy fighting continues in both cities, the MoD said.

A curfew in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv lifted early on Monday morning.

Rouble plunges as punishments

On the economic front, the Rouble plunged 28 per cent in early trading on Monday – a new record low – after the West imposed ever tougher sanctions on Moscow over the weekend.

Russian’s invasion of Ukraine has caused markets to swing wildly, given the potential impact on inflation, energy supplies and other economic repercussions. There have been reports of people in Russia drawing money out of banks, sparking fears of a run on the country’s financial institutions.

Russia’s currency fell to 118 against the US dollar and Russia’s central bank banned the foreign selling of Russian securities and stock markets failed to open on time.

New measures announced over the last few days have included directly sanctioning Mr Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s central bank and cutting Russian banks out of the SWIFT financial system, which enables cross border payments.

The tougher sanctions were cited as one of the reasons behind Mr Putin’s alarming move to put his defense chiefs and nuclear forces on high alert on Sunday.

Britain said on Monday it was taking further measures against Putin’s regime, together with the US and EU, banning British entities from undertaking transactions with the Russian central bank, finance ministry and wealth fund.

“The UK Government will take all necessary steps to immediately bring into effect restrictions to prohibit any UK natural or legal persons from undertaking financial transactions involving the CBR, the Russian National Wealth Fund, and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation,” the government said.

The UK said there would be more designations announced this week.

“These measures demonstrate our determination to apply severe economic sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

“The Bank of England continues to take any and all actions needed to support the Government’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said.

The new sanctions also include new restrictions on Russian financial institutions and measures to prevent Russian companies from issuing transferable securities and money market instruments in the UK.

Britain said it would have “a power to prevent designated banks from accessing Sterling and clearing payments through the UK.”

.

[ad_2]