UK momentum towards Ukraine is dropping back, says former defence secretary
The UK's leadership on support for Ukraine is starting to slow, former Army officer and defence secretary Ben Wallace said.
In an interview with the BBC, Sir Ben outlined his belief that the Government's leadership toward the ongoing Ukraine conflict has "started to drop back into the pack" and said that to drive change while in power "you have to really do it every single day".
His comments come not long after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that allies must "step up" support for Ukraine following his most recent meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky to reaffirm the UK's unwavering commitment.
Sir Ben said: "What has happened is the leadership that Britain showed right from the start has started to drop back into the sort of pack.
"And the leadership did bring lots and lots of Europeans with us.
"I definitely have a sense that that momentum has dropped back, and my experience of government is if you want to really drive things, you have to really do it every single day.
"You can't just do a statement and then float around."
His comments come amid uncertainty on President-elect Donald Trump's plan for financing Ukraine's defence.
In December 2023, it was suggested by a former commander of US Army Europe that European contributions toward aid for Ukraine had surpassed the United States at the time.
Recently, a $425m military aid package for Ukraine was announced by the US before the election.
Ukraine is still urging the west to permit the use of long-range missiles, such as the British Storm Shadow, against targets inside Russia's border.
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