British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace warns of Russian military threats and the future of NATO leadership

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has already said there is a real possibility of taking control of Crimea by the end of 2023 if Russia exhausts its military potential. He expressed this opinion in an interview with the Washington Post.

“We’ve seen on the battlefield that if you hit the Russian troops in the wrong place, they will actually collapse. You can send tens of thousands of young men to their deaths, which they’re doing, but you can’t get the tanks and weapons systems that you need “, the publication quoted the comment of the British Minister of Defense on the issue of Crimea.

Asked about Ukraine’s prospects for joining NATO, Wallace said that NATO – like the EU – must not repeat the mistakes of the past by making too many promises to candidates like Ukraine and added that the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance have not yet reached a final decision on the matter.

“We have to be realistic. It’s not going to happen in Vilnius, it’s not going to happen soon,” he added.

At the same time, the British Minister of Defense emphasized that a number of countries are ready to conclude bilateral or multilateral “mutual defense pacts” with Ukraine and agree on plans to build the country’s military potential. “This will help warn any country against a possible invasion of Ukraine in the future,” he stressed.

This may be able to deter Russia, as according to Wallace, “Russia’s land forces will be significantly depleted in the next 10 years.”

Russia’s agreement to return Crimea to Ukraine was one of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s conditions for starting peace talks with Moscow. Ukraine’s Western allies are also pushing for Zelensky’s “peace formula”.

According to “Bild”, quoted by BGNES, the Ukrainian armed forces may try to cut off Russia’s land communications with Crimea as part of a counter-offensive.

“NATO must push member countries to increase their military spending so that the alliance can effectively deter Russia beyond the war in Ukraine and deal with other threats to transatlantic security,” said Britain’s defense chief, outlining his ambitions for the future of bloc as he seeks to be the next leader of the alliance.

“The world is becoming more dangerous, more uncertain and more anxious and the next secretary general needs to be able to provide that funding to make sure it is never decommissioned,” Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in an interview this week.

As the conflict continues, Wallace said Western nations continue to support providing arms and funding to Ukraine without pressuring leaders in Kiev to negotiate with Russia or make concessions.

“But we’ve seen the reality, which is that we’re all running out” of defense equipment that can be donated, Wallace said, meaning Britain and other countries are forced to buy more weapons than donate them from national stockpiles .

Wallace said the scale of Russian losses suggests that Putin still believes he can win, if he gets more troops into the war. He assumed that Putin may not receive accurate information about the military effort and may not realize the scale of the military challenges facing his country until the moment of collapse or internal challenge.

If that happens, he said, “NATO and the West must be ready for whatever happens.”

Wallace, who led Britain’s efforts to arm Ukraine, most recently by extending Kiev’s combat range with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, called for a more informative NATO that could more convincingly communicate threats such as the readiness of Russian President Vladimir Putin not to respect international borders.

“Until Ukraine happened, there were too many people who didn’t want to see the threat from Putin, and look where we are now,” he said, adding: “The same complacency exists today regarding the threats posed by China and destabilizing activities in Africa“.

Wallace spoke to The Washington Post as speculation mounts about who will replace NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after he is expected to leave this year. Officials from the alliance countries said likely contenders, in addition to Wallace, include Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kalas, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Stoltenberg surprisingly talked about the end of the war in Ukraine and what will happen next

While the process for selecting a secretary-general is unclear, officials say member states will try to reach consensus through informal consultations, but acknowledge that the United States, whose military might dwarfs that of its NATO partners, will have an important say .

Some officials in Western Europe have expressed concern that a secretary general from Eastern Europe, where leaders have taken a tougher stance toward Moscow, could push for actions that are more likely to bring NATO into direct conflict with Russia.

Other countries believe it is time for a leader from southern Europe after the succession of secretaries-general from the north of the country. Others say the bloc’s next leader should be a woman or someone from a European Union country, which Britain is not.

Although Norway’s Stoltenberg is not expected to extend his term again, officials say it is possible that he will. He has held this post since 2014.

Wallace, who had been posted to Germany as a young British Army officer, described his qualifications for the job but only hinted at his ambitions.

“I’m doing a job that I love and I’ve been doing it for almost four years,” he said, adding: “But NATO is extremely important.”

Follow the latest news with BLITZ and on Telegram. Join the channel here