LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine) – In case a conflict breaks out with Russia, British people who want to stay in Ukraine shouldn’t expect a military evacuation, says James Heappey, junior defence minister, when he spoke to Sky News on Saturday. British nationals should leave Ukraine as soon as possible by all means imaginable, he urged, adding that there shouldn’t be an expectation of a military evacuation, as was done in Afghanistan this summer.
On Friday, the UK government recommended British citizens to leave Ukraine as soon as commercial means were accessible, and to avoid any further visit to the country.
Heappey stated that no decision on Britain’s diplomatic presence in Ukraine has been taken yet.
On Friday, Ben Wallace, British Defence Secretary announced that British troops stationed in Ukraine for training would be returning soon.
“There will be no British troops in Ukraine if there is any conflict with Russia,” Heappey stated.
On Saturday, US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin were scheduled to speak, as Western nations warned that a war-like scenario in Ukraine might erupt at any time.
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said yesterday that he took Russian pledges that Moscow wouldn’t invade Ukraine in a serious manner, however, needed to see more action accompanying the claim, and that he hoped his conversation with Moscow on Friday had helped to ease tensions.
Wallace met with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as Russia conducts massive military drills in Belarus as part of a force buildup near Ukraine that has fueled fears of an invasion. Moscow has denied any planning for an assault.
The Russian military position that is observed, over 100,000, clearly gives that level of force the ability to execute a broad range of actions, including an invasion of a neighbouring country at any time, he said.
A day after the foreign secretary of Britain sparred publicly with top diplomat of Russia following discussions in Moscow, Wallace portrayed his meetings with Shoigu, a strong ally of President Vladimir Putin, as constructive and frankThere was definitely no deafness or blindness in the discussion, Wallace stated in answer to a query about the contentious meetings on Thursday, which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov compared to a conversation between mute and deaf people.
He believes that confidence-building transparency and measures can assist in answering Russia’s worries, and that a Russian invasion would have “tragic consequences.”
“I heard clearly from the Russian government that they had no intention of invading Ukraine and I also heard some of their concerns,” he said.
