Defence Secretary John Healey responded firmly to concerns raised in Parliament about comments made by a potential Labour candidate for the UK’s ambassador to Washington.
The candidate had suggested Ukraine should not expect to reclaim its territory or progress towards NATO membership but might secure security guarantees from Western nations.
Sir Julian Lewis, Conservative MP for New Forest East, voiced his disapproval of the remarks during the debate:
“Does the Secretary of State share my concern at the recent media interview given by a leading candidate to be Labour’s next ambassador to Washington DC? This supposedly clever negotiator declared that Ukraine should not expect to get its territory back, and should not expect to be put on the path to join NATO, but could perhaps secure some security guarantees from western countries. Does the Secretary of State agree that whoever is sent to Washington should be somebody who supports Ukraine in defending itself and does not reward Russian aggression with pre-emptive capitulation?”
Healey addressed the concerns by underlining the UK’s unwavering support for Ukraine, both in its current fight against Russian aggression and in securing long-term security guarantees:
“One of the first privileges I had in this new role was to represent the country at the NATO Washington summit. That was the point at which the NATO nations collectively agreed to step up support for Ukraine and to develop the security guarantees that Ukraine will need in the longer term. The task for us and allies that support Ukraine is to help Ukrainians and support them in their fight now. At the point at which they judge the talking should start, our role then is to give them equally steadfast support, and we will.”
At the UK Defence Journal, we aim to deliver accurate and timely news on defence matters. We rely on the support of readers like you to maintain our independence and high-quality journalism. Please consider making a one-off donation to help us continue our work. Click here to donate. Thank you for your support!
That’ll be similar to the Budapest Memorandum Mr Healey! Or has he forgotten that Ukraine got suckered once before? I have no confidence in anything Healey says. It was only yesterday someone floated in the media the prospect of mothballing one or both Carriers.
Yes the Ukrainians have fought and in many cases died to defend their homeland. Waging war should never be allowed to pay. It would be sending the wrong message.
Why do you blame Healey for leaking the carrier remark? Is there evidence?
Another nut case enters the Labour appointments.
Mandleston will never be accepted by Trump. When he was the British EU Commissioner, he was responsible for the increased tariffs on some US goods entering the EU. Secondly, as Mandleson is an EU fanatic, Trump will see anything he says as being pro-EU.
Josef Starmer will have to appoint an alternative.
I am trying very hard to believe this Gov and the people in it have got the right idea and ability to make sensible decisions but with every passing day I suspect they might well be a complete bunch of id*ots.
Only suspect?😂
Yeah hear we go again, it’s difficult to have confidence in anything they sat, it’s seems talk is always louder than actions which eventually purely undermines confidence. In reality it’s going to be very difficult to regain their lands, compromises will inevitably have to take place but to surrender before you enter the fray is is always the most stupid strategy and it’s difficult to have faith in anyone who does so. And as others have said on paper full military guarantees could be acceptable alternative to NATO but as we have already guaranteed their existence yet have no intension of doing so in the only way to ensure it ie on the ground what possible faith can there be we would in the future when I fear Russia once revived will likely have learned much from their mistakes this time around. NATO is probably their only real insurance.
Any idea who the originator is? I understand Lord Mandelson is the Labour front runner for Ambassador to Washington, but can’t find the original interview or any other reporting about it. Just conscious, as ever, that Sir Julian’s comments may be a little stripped of context.
I searched again this morning and found nothing. Sir Julian’s question was even gender neutral, so no clues there. Lord Mandelson talks regularly on the Times podcast How to Win an Election, but there’s nothing reported about Ukraine and no transcripts to search, so unless you listen to the podcast regularly, it’s hard to know.
The best & probably only credible security guarantee is for UKR to join NATO. Russia has proven completely incapable of honouring treaty pledges. For that to happen a lot of our “leaders” need to grow a pair rather than appease/capitulate to Russia while hindering UKR’s ability to defend herself or rclaim all the territory that’s been stolen. The USA under Trump seem very willing to surrender UKR land to Rusia, when they’d never accept anyone else taking US territory.
Chilling to see Starmer sucking up to China.
Why is there to be a politician appointed to serve as Ambassador. Why not a senior member of the Diplomatic Corps, now seemingly retitled to ‘His Majesty’s Diplomatic Service (HMDS)’.
Ever heard of Kim Darroch? What has always astonished me by his appointment as Ambassador to the US is that he had never served in any capacity as a member of the Foreign Office in the US, either in the Embassy or a consulate. In fact, he was a European specialist, and I doubt that he had ever even visited the US before his appointment.
Seems there are still some people out there who think that Putin will be deterred by success, and that Ukraine can be convinced to bend over for round two.
if we want to buy peace at any cost we have to be prepared to pay for it.
£3 billion a year for as long as it takes to get us nuked, I for one am sick to death of Russians, Ukrainians, Americans, Israelis, Palestinians and all other foreigners who like a bit of havoc, and as for our imbecilic peace deniers (d’ya like what I did there 😀) in Westminster stupidity has taken over as you can tell by their rhetoric, we could send a gun boat into the black sea but they’re all being scrapped. Our happy 🏳️🌈 armed forces won’t stand a chance especially against the esteemed one legged North Korean Field Marshall Ty Won Shu.
Our leaders should Just tell us the truth, which as far as I can see is, they’ve lost control of the narrative and they’re just lining there pockets and hoping Don the maniac comes to their rescue.