Ben Wallace warns threat of Putin keeps him awake at night and pledges 'personal' support to Ukraine
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who revealed in The Sunday Times that he plans to resign at the next Cabinet reshuffle, has issued a stark warning about future conflicts.
Asked what keeps him awake at night, he told the paper, "a combination of the continuing threat from Vladimir Putin's Russia, an increasingly aggressive China and terrorist groups that have still not gone away".
Mr Wallace also said higher defence spending, which he called a "necessity", could be a dividing line at the next general election.
He said: "Towards the end of the decade, the world is going to be much more unsafe, more insecure.
"I think we will find ourselves in a conflict.
"Whether it is a cold or a warm conflict, I think we'll be in a difficult position."
As Mr Wallace announced his departure, he also tweeted in Ukrainian, pledging his personal support for Ukraine, after earlier suggesting the invaded country should show "gratitude" for the military support it has been given.
He made the gratitude remark following Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky's criticism of the delay to his nation's Nato membership.
Mr Wallace tweeted: "My comments about how best to support Ukraine caused a lot of interest and were somewhat misrepresented.
"For the record, as someone who has been at the forefront of mobilising support for Ukraine, I have discussed the challenges that may arise as we work towards the common goal of helping Ukraine get what it needs to defeat this illegal invasion.
"I said that Ukraine sometimes needs to realise that in many countries and in some parliaments there is not such strong support as in Great Britain."
He said his remark was not a comment about governments, but "more about citizens and members of parliaments".
"We are fortunate that the citizens of the United Kingdom and all parties in our parliament support our efforts to provide Ukraine with the necessary means," he said.
"Our approval ratings for supporting Ukraine are among the highest in Europe – over 70%.
"My comments were meant to reflect that it is important to remember not to talk to yourself, but to make an effort to reach out to other citizens who still need to be convinced," he added.
Mr Wallace also addressed comments when he said the UK was not online delivery service Amazon after being handed a wish list for military supplies.
"The comments about Amazon were made last year to emphasise that Britain's relationship with Ukraine is not 'transactional' but more 'partnership'," he said.
"I will personally continue to support Ukraine on its path for as long as it takes, but national parliaments often have competing needs and Ukraine and the UK must continue to encourage this strong support, with facts and friendship."
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