UK says Russian forces should be completely pushed out of Ukraine

By Muhammad Mussa

LONDON (AA) – Russian forces should be completely pushed out of Ukraine in order to restore peace and stability to the region, the British defense secretary stressed Thursday.

Speaking to Sky News, Ben Wallace said the international community will never acknowledge Russian claims and control over occupied Crimea, as well as the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east, and that Moscow should withdraw from all areas of the country that it has occupied.

"The international community has condemned Russia for its invasion of Crimea, which was illegal in 2014. Its (2022) invasion of Donetsk, recognizing it is illegal, is somewhat different,” he said.

"We don't recognize it and we've constantly said that Russia should leave the sovereign territory. So that hasn't changed,” he added.

Wallace, however, admitted that Ukraine will have a “long way to go” before regaining control of Crimea and that the international community should focus its efforts first on combatting the ongoing war, now nine weeks old.

He reiterated Britain's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its ability to defend itself against Russian aggression.

"I think what I would certainly say is, we are supporting Ukraine's sovereign integrity. We've done that all along. That, of course, includes Crimea.

"But you know, first and foremost, let's get Russia out of where they are now in its invasion plans and help Ukraine resolve and actually remember the (2014) Minsk agreement, which Russia has basically ripped up, was all about trying to resolve those two occupied territories.”

- China warned

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss reiterated Wallace's sentiments, calling for Ukraine's full liberation and the withdrawal of all Russian forces from the country.

Truss also criticized China for its lackluster response to Moscow's war in a Wednesday night speech at Manor House, warning Beijing that the UK and its allies have "choices" for governments that defy international laws.

"China is not impervious. They will not continue to rise if they do not play by the rules. China needs (to) trade with the G7. We represent around half of the global economy. And we have choices,” she said.

"We have shown with Russia the kind of choices that we're prepared to make when international rules are violated,” she added.

She also stressed the importance of supplying heavy weapons to Kyiv in order to ensure the expulsion of Russian forces from the country. Her comments represent a significant reversal in the West's stance on the war, which had previously supplied defensive weapons.

“We are already stepping up in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine is our war – it is everyone’s war because Ukraine’s victory is a strategic imperative for all of us. Heavy weapons, tanks, aeroplanes – digging deep into our inventories, ramping up production. We need to do all of this.”

She said the international community should remember that this war is a concern for everyone and that a Ukrainian triumph over Russia would be a strategic victory for Europe as well as the rest of the world.