Setbacks for Ukraine in its ongoing war with invading Russian forces should “raise the alarm to the democratic world,” according to British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps.
Over two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion, Moscow has made a series of advances in eastern Ukraine, while Kyiv has struggled on the battlefield amid a shortage of ammunition and a slowing of military aid from allies.
Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk, head of Ukraine’s ground forces, recently said that Ukrainian troops were working furiously to stabilize their positions and “regroup” in hopes of laying the groundwork for much-needed “counteroffensive operations” later this year.
Shapps issued a “wake-up call” on the war during a visit to Kyiv in a video shared on Friday to X, formerly Twitter, urging Ukraine’s Western allies to commit to providing the war-torn nation with the “resources” it needs to defeat “dictator” Putin.
Omar Havana
“I’m the British defense secretary, here in Kyiv to raise the alarm,” Shapps says in the video. “Because what would it say if we allow a democratic country to be taken over by a dictator like Putin? What would it say about our values of freedom and democracy?”
“It doesn’t have to be this way, because we easily have the resources of the West if we have the will,” he continues. “This is a wake-up call for the world. Let’s make sure Ukraine wins this war.”
I’m in Kyiv to raise the alarm to the democratic world – we must make sure Ukraine wins this war.
The UK has stepped up to do more than ever, with our largest military support package to date. Every nation must now do the same and ensure freedom triumphs over tyranny. pic.twitter.com/DYbOcCUkho
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) March 8, 2024
Newsweek reached out for comment to Putin’s office via email on Friday.
Shapps was in Kyiv for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Thursday, Shapps announced that the U.K. would be spending approximately $160 million to fund the production of more than 10,000 military drones for Ukraine.
“Drones are changing the course of the war in Ukraine,” Shapps wrote in a post to X. “That’s why today the UK is boosting its delivery of drones to the frontline … By doing so we will get over 10,000 new drones to Ukraine and remain Ukraine’s largest drone supplier.”
Additional Ukrainian military aid from the U.S. remains stalled in Congress, where President Joe Biden’s $60 billion aid package has failed to advance amid months of partisan quarrels.
During a House hearing in late February, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that failing to pass the aid could lead to Ukraine’s defeat, predicting that Russia would then attempt to continue expanding through Europe and ultimately start a world war by attacking a NATO nation.
“We know that if Putin is successful here, he will not stop,” Austin said. “He will continue to take more aggressive action in the region … Quite frankly, if Ukraine falls, I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with Russia.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.