UK minister says Ukraine should show gratitude for weapons: ‘I’m not Amazon’
- British defence chief Ben Wallace’s remarks prompted suggestions of discord, as Kyiv expresses frustration at the lack of a Nato invitation
- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak moved quickly to head off the suggestion that London was annoyed by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s fierce lobbying
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace sounded an off note in London’s normally harmonious relationship with Kyiv on Wednesday, suggesting Ukraine should show more gratitude to its allies and griping Britain is not an “Amazon” for military supplies.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak moved quickly to head off the suggestion that London was annoyed by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s fierce lobbying at the Nato summit for more Western support in his battle against the Russian invasion.
And Zelensky himself brushed off any suggestions of tension in the relationship.
But, against a background of Ukrainian frustration that the two-day Nato summit in Vilnius had not produced an invitation for Kyiv to join the alliance on a clear time frame, Wallace’s comments triggered embarrassing headlines and suggestions of discord.
“There is a slight word of caution which is, whether we like it or not, people want to see gratitude,” Wallace told British media on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Vilnius.