Liz Truss fires shot at NATO after UK pledge more weaponry to Ukraine

Liz Truss and Nadhim Zahawi will launch campaigns to be next Tory party leader

Image of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. Credit: Twitter @FCDOGovUK

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss fired some subtle shots at NATO on Thursday, June 30, suggesting that the alliance has not spent enough on defence after the UK announced more aid and weaponry for Ukraine.

Speaking to LBC, Liz Truss said that after the Cold War we didn’t “collectively” spend enough on defence: “We also need our allies to step up. I see the 2 per cent as a minimum and I want to see our allies spend more too.”

She added: “All of the free world needs to recognise that defence and deterrents are vital for our countries’ future and we should be spending the requisite amount on them.”

In the earlier hours of Thursday, June 30, the UK announced that it would be providing Ukraine with an additional £1 billion military aid package which will include “small arms and light weapons systems, drones, radio-electronic warfare equipment and thousands of items of vital equipment for Ukrainian soldiers.”

This brings the total military support provided to Ukraine since the start of the war to £2.3 billion.

And Ms Truss hinted that the UK may also be preparing military aid to Taiwan.

The 46-year-old said: “What I’m saying is that we need to learn the lessons of Ukraine that we could’ve ensured Ukraine had the defensive capability earlier.

“That is a similar approach that we need to take for other sovereign nations, including Taiwan.”

Following on from Wednesday, June 29 when UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having a ‘toxic masculinity’ problem and defence secretary Ben Wallace said he suffered from ‘small man syndrome’, Truss said that she believed women are capable of acts of war too.

“I believe that both men and women are capable of doing evil things and there are some very evil people in the world, one of which is Vladimir Putin,” she said.

“There are some very, very bad women and men. I wouldn’t say it’s an issue about what sex Vladimir Putin is.”


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Written by

Matthew Roscoe

Originally from the UK, Matthew is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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