Vladimir Putin is ‘Christmas crackers’ to threaten Britain, Defence Secretary says
John Healey warned the Russian dictator that he would never take Ukraine, and that the UK was investing millions ‘right now’ to mobilise British troops ‘day one’ of a peace deal
Vladimir Putin is “Christmas crackers” if he thinks he can threaten Britain, the Defence Secretary has claimed.
John Healey warned the Russian dictator that he would never take Ukraine, and that the UK was investing millions “right now” to mobilise British troops “day one” of a peace deal. Speaking at a Merville Barracks in Colchester, Mr Healey told The Mirror a peace deal had never been closer, and suggested an agreement would be “the greatest gift” Ukrainians could have for Christmas.
His comments came just a week after the launch of a new military intelligence service amid escalating threats to the UK from cyber-attacks, disinformation and threats to global shipping lanes. In a warning to the Russian despot, he said: “Across our systems, we’ve had 90,000 cyber attacks this year alone, linked to foreign states, a significant proportion of them from Russia.
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“It’s just a small sign of the way, especially Putin and Russia is trying to challenge us in cyberspace, in airspace, challenge us for our undersea cables and infrastructure, and Putin needs to know that if he threatens the UK we are ready. I would say he’s Christmas crackers if he thinks he’s going to threaten Britain. I would also say he will not win in Ukraine, and that we as a nation with other allies will stand with Ukrainians as long as it takes”.
The Russian President has put his assault troops on the offensive despite peace talks and Moscow has refused to accept even the US’s Kremlin-friendly 28 point peace plan. Despite this, Mr Healey insisted a resolution to the conflict had never been closer.
He said: “The greatest gift that the Ukrainians could have would be peace at Christmas. If there is a peace deal by Christmas, we will be ready, alongside the French, to lead the Coalition of the Willing, the multinational force that will help secure that piece for the long term. We’re investing millions right now to make sure British forces are ready to move on day one, if we get peace.
“That means jets in the skies and boots on the ground to reinforce that piece to rebuild the strength of the Ukrainian forces so they can deter any future Russian threats. We are perhaps closer to peace than at any stage we’ve been at since Putin’s full-scale invasion.”
Mr Healey also offered a sombre reminder of why the conflict was so important to Brits.
He said: “This isn’t just a country fighting for the freedom and the values that we value. We know that if Putin prevails in Ukraine, he won’t stop at Ukraine. We see him escalating the attacks in Ukraine, but we also see him escalating his aggression, more widely to NATO nations like ours.”
This month the head of Britain’s armed forces Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton warned that the nation’s ‘son’s and daughters’ need to be ready to fight in a war with Russia. Asked about his comments, Mr Healey explained the defence chief was making a “deeper” argument, but that everyone still needed to do more.
He said: “He was saying we’ve all got to be more conscious of Defence, I want more people to look at joining the forces, reservists or regulars. I want British industry to raise its game, which is why we’re investing more in British defence, industry and innovators for the future.
“In this new era of threat, it requires not just government to step up as we are with the record increase in defence spending, it requires industry to step up as they’re doing with accelerating the pace of bringing on new systems, new weapons, and the contracts that we’re providing, but it also needs society to strengthen its support for our forces. This new era of threats is not just about shooting in a foreign land.”
Finally, Mr Healey thanked the troops at home and abroad who are unable to spend time with their families at Christmas. He said: “We appreciate that there are more than 7, 000 troops stationed overseas, separate from their families, but what we don’t appreciate is there’s more in the UK that will not be at home.
“Not be at the Christmas dinner table on Christmas day because they’re on duty on base, and in the case of the specialists I met this morning, ready to move within 10 minutes. It’s a special thank you to them for that service and to their families, who will be without their loved ones on Christmas Day.”
