Liz Truss vows to declassify more MI6 intelligence as PM to expose Vladimir Putin’s ‘lies’ and pledges Ukraine will have ‘no greater ally’ than Britain
- Liz Truss vows to declassify more MI6 intelligence on Russia if she becomes PM
- The Foreign Secretary pledges Ukraine will have ‘no greater ally’ than Britain
- Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says Russia is now in a ‘very fragile position’
Liz Truss today vowed to declassify more MI6 intelligence on Russian activity, if she becomes prime minister next month, in a bid to further expose Vladimir Putin’s ‘lies’.
The Foreign Secretary, who is widely expected to win the ongoing Tory leadership contest, offered her assurance that Ukraine would have ‘no greater ally’ than Britain if she enters Number 10.
It has now been six months since Russia launched its latest brutal invasion on Ukraine, with Ms Truss insisting that ‘Putin cannot prevail’ with his military assault.
Today is also Ukraine’s independence day, which marks 31 years since the country’s independence from Soviet rule.
The Foreign Secretary noted how Britain ‘was one of the first countries to recognise Ukraine’s independence’ in 1991.
She added the UK was ‘now at the forefront in supporting our friends in their battle to stop Putin from turning the clock back through force of arms’.
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace – who is supporting Ms Truss in the Tory leadership race – claimed that Russia was in a ‘very fragile position’ and had now lost around 80,000 of its armed forces in the six months of conflict.
Liz Truss offered her assurance that Ukraine would have ‘no greater ally’ than Britain if she enters Number 10
It has now been six months since Russia launched its latest brutal invasion on Ukraine, with the Foreign Secretary insisting that ‘Putin cannot prevail’ with his military assault
Ms Truss vowed to declassify more MI6 intelligence on Russian activity, if she becomes prime minister next month
Throughout Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine this year, which began on 24th February, the Ministry of Defence has been widely sharing intelligence on the build-up of Russian troops and the success or failure of their advances.
This has been done to counter Russian disinformation over its motives for the invasion, which the Kremlin has repeatedly only referred to as a ‘special military operation’.
In an article for the Daily Telegraph, Ms Truss vowed to go further to ‘expose Putin’s playbook to the world’ if she becomes PM on 6th September.
‘We will continue to step up our work to counter the efforts of Russia and other authoritarian regimes to use disinformation to sow confusion and undermine global stability, drawing on the skills and tools at our disposal alongside our international partners.
‘I will go further as prime minister by doing everything possible – including declassifying more intelligence – to expose Putin’s playbook to the world.
‘My government will use intelligence strategically to reveal the Kremlin’s attempts to undermine and destabilise freedom-loving democracies.
‘Where there are lies, they will be exposed, where there is barbarism, we will call it out.
‘I will take the same tough approach to counter malign activity from potentially hostile states and others who threaten global security.’
Ms Truss described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a ‘sharp shock of reality for the free world’ as she reiterated her pledge to boost UK defence spending to three per cent of GDP by 2030.
She also recommitted British support for Ukraine should she replace Boris Johnson in Downing Street.
‘If I become prime minister, I will do everything I can to ensure the flame of freedom in Ukraine continues to burn bright,’ the Foreign Secretary added.
‘Putin cannot prevail. Under my leadership, President (Volodomyr) Zelensky will have no greater ally at this dark hour than the UK.’
It has been reported that Ms Truss is considering making a trip to Ukraine one of her first acts in office in a public show of support for Kyiv.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace claimed that Russia was in a ‘very fragile position’ and had now lost around 80,000 of its armed forces in the six months of conflict
Downing Street has been decorated with flowers in Ukraine’s national colours for the country’s independence day
Mr Wallace, speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, revealed that Russia’s stalling advance in Ukraine could now be measured in ‘metres per week, not miles’.
‘It is grinding in small parts of the country in an attempt to advance – completely opposite of the three-days special operation that it touted at the beginning of this, six months ago,’ the Defence Secretary said.
‘We pretty much accept, well, we do accept, the sort of observations of Russian losses to be – if you combine deaths, injuries, desertions – over 80,000 of their armed forces.
‘That’s 80,000 in six months compared to 15,000 they lost in a decade in Afghanistan.
‘I think we are in a position where Russia is in a very fragile position.’
Mr Wallace suggested that ‘Ukraine is getting itself into that position’ to try and retake territory that Russia still holds.
He claimed the morale of Ukrainian troops was ‘leagues ahead’ of their ‘poorly-trained’ Russian adversaries.
The Defence Secretary rejected the idea of a blanket ban on UK visas for Russians, but insisted ‘we can toughen up the conditions’.
‘I don’t like watching oligarchs’ wives or indeed Russian senior officials’ wives enjoying themselves in Greece or south of France, or super yachts around the world while their army is committing war crimes in Ukraine,’ he added.
‘I think that is very wrong.’
Ms Truss’s rival for the Tory leadership, ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak, today penned an open letter in the Kyiv Post newspaper to also offer his reassurance to Ukrainians of continued UK support.
He wrote: ‘Whatever the changes here in our country, we Brits will always remain your strongest ally.
‘We will keep supporting your brave fighters to protect your citizens, we will keep providing humanitarian aid to ensure you have access to medication and food, and we will keep sheltering your loved ones until they can return home safely and sleep soundly.
‘And when they do, I promise that the UK will be a lifelong friend and help Ukraine rebuild into the prosperous, ambitious and forward-looking country you are.’
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