Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has warned his Russian counterpart against any attempt to escalate the war in Ukraine.
Mr Wallace spoke to Sergei Shoigu in a rare telephone call initiated at the request of the Russians, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
According to an MoD readout, Mr Shoigu accused the UK and other Western powers of seeking to assist the government in Kyiv in trying to escalate the conflict.
A statement on Defence Secretary Ben Wallace’s call with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu: pic.twitter.com/BbQ9muxKeC
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) October 23, 2022
Mr Wallace rejected the claims and warned Moscow not to try to use them as a “pretext” for its own efforts to step up the conflict.
In a statement, the MoD said: “Minister Shoigu alleged that Ukraine was planning actions facilitated by Western countries, including the UK, to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.
“The Defence Secretary refuted these claims and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation.
“The Defence Secretary also reiterated UK and wider international support for Ukraine and desire to de-escalate this conflict.
“It is for Ukraine and Russia to seek resolution to the war and the UK stands ready to assist.”
The call comes after Mr Shoigu spoke to US defence secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday to discuss the ongoing war.
Few details of their discussion were made public although the Pentagon said they emphasised the importance of “maintaining lines of communication” amid the conflict.
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community – a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Last Updated:
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s Editors’ Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
© 2001-2022. This site is part of Newsquest’s audited local newspaper network. A Gannett Company. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. HP10 9TY. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |
Data returned from the Piano ‘meterActive/meterExpired’ callback event.
As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles.
Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services.
These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community.
It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.
