UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has announced he will leave government at the next government reshuffle, scheduled for September, and will not stand for deputy in the next election.
The announcement was made in an interview with the Sunday Times by the longest-serving Conservative at the helm of the Ministry of Defence.
Wallace, who worked in the defense portfolio for four years with three different prime ministers – Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Sunak – explained that he will leave the front lines of politics because of the strain he has put on his family life.
The interview follows a controversy at the NATO summit in Vilnius, where Wallace said the UK was not an Amazon arms delivery service to Ukraine and urged Kiev to be wise and “show gratitude” to its supporters.
In a message published on Twitter in Ukrainian, the minister explains that his statements were made after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it absurd that NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) insists that there are still conditions that Ukraine must meet to join the Alliance.
“My comments about how to better support Ukraine have generated a lot of interest and have been misunderstood,” Wallace said.
Міністр оборони Великої Британії Бен Воллес:
“If you want to know what to do, zers zers
– Rt. Hon Ben Wallace MP (@BWallaceMP) July 15, 2023
The official recalled that, “as someone who has been at the forefront of mobilization for Ukraine”, he spoke of “the challenges that could arise” as we move towards a “common goal of helping Ukraine get what it needs has to win this illegal battle”. invasion”.
“He said that sometimes Ukraine has to realize that in many countries and in some parliaments there is not such strong support as in the UK,” he clarified.
In this sense, Wallace qualified that his words did not allude to governments, but “more to citizens and representatives”.
“We are fortunate that British citizens and all parties in our parliaments support efforts to provide Ukraine with the necessary resources,” he added.
With his controversial remarks, Wallace wanted to “show that it is important to remember that you should not speak for yourself, but that you should make an effort to reach other citizens who also need to be convinced”.
Last week, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak distanced himself from those comments, noting that Zelensky “has expressed gratitude on numerous occasions”.
Wallace, 53, tried to be elected Secretary General of NATO but failed to receive US backing.
Source: DN
