TELLING Ukraine not to blitz targets inside Russia is “ridiculous”, Britain’s Defence Secretary says.
Grant Shapps criticised US President Joe Biden over his demands Kyiv halt strikes on Vladimir Putin’s oil refineries.
Dan CharityGrant Shapps hasslammed Joe Biden’s request that the Ukraine halt strikes on Putin’s oil refineries[/caption]
ReutersUS General Mark Milley had said in May: ‘We asked Ukraine not to use US-supplied equipment for direct attacks into Russia’[/caption]
Mr Shapps told The Sun’s new World At War show on YouTube: “You can’t tell Ukraine, ‘you can’t attack the infrastructure of the country who are attacking you’.”
“I mean, that would be ridiculous.”
He admitted Britain’s stance was “punchier” than other allies, adding: “We’ve always been quite forward leaning on this.”
Ukraine has hit multiple targets deep inside Russia, including oil refineries, which the US fears will ramp up global fuel prices — possibly damaging Biden’s re-election hopes.
US General Mark Milley said in May: “We asked Ukraine not to use US-supplied equipment for direct attacks into Russia.”
White House spokesman John Kirby said at the time: “We have made it very clear to the Ukrainians what our expectations are about attacking Russia – we don’t want to encourage or enable that.”
But yesterday, Latvia’s foreign minister Baiba Braze said Ukraine had received weapons shipments from other nations with no such strings attached.
Baiba Braže told Ukrainian journalists: “There are already countries that have provided those weapons without conditions to Ukraine.”
She added: “Not everything is said aloud, and better that it’s not.”
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