Defence secretary Ben Wallace has been accused of “scolding” the Ukrainians after revealing that he told them Britain was not retail giant Amazon when presented with a list of weapons demands.
In a summit that has revealed cracks between Western leaders and Kyiv, Mr Wallace also said he had advised Ukraine that the international community wanted to see “gratitude” for its support in the war with Russia.
Asked about the row, Rishi Sunak distanced himself from the comments, saying the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky had repeatedly expressed his gratitude. “I think everyone can see that’s how he feels,“ he said.
The prime minister said that people across Ukraine were “fighting for their lives and freedom every single day and paying a terrible price for it”, adding that he understood Mr Zelensky’s “desire to do everything he can to protect his people”.
President Zelensky – told about Mr Wallace’s remarks about Amazon and wanting to see “gratitude” – fired back by saying he “didn’t know what [Mr Wallace] meant” and asked whether he “wants something special”.
“I believe we were always grateful to the United Kingdom,” Mr Zelensky told a press conference. “We were always grateful to prime ministers and to the minister for defence, because the people in the United Kingdom have always supportive – we are grateful for this.”
“I didn’t know what he meant and how else we should be grateful,” he added. “We could get up in the morning and express our gratitude personally to the minister … Maybe the minister wants something special, but I think we have wonderful relations [with the UK].”
Labour’s shadow defence secretary John Healey said Ukrainians did not need “lectures” when they were “fighting for the future and the freedom of their country”.
“President Zelensky wants more military help yesterday, of course he does. What he doesn’t need is lectures on gratitude, especially when they overshadow a successful summit in which Nato is stronger and the support for Ukraine is greater,” he added.
And Lib Dem defence spokesperson Richard Foord said Ukrainian people were dying because of Russia’s invasion and were asking for “the equipment needed to protect their country”, adding: “It is ill-judged to scold them for this and demand that they show more ‘gratitude’.”
It came as Western leaders tried to smooth tensions with Ukraine after President Zelensky sensationally accused the alliance of “absurd” delays to the process of making his country a member on Tuesday.
In a move widely seen as a way to soften the blow over Nato, the G7 announced a new framework for Ukraine’s long-term security, marking the first time many of its members have agreed such an arrangement with another country.
The summit also held the first meeting of the Nato-Ukraine council, a new forum designed to deepen ties with the war-torn country.
For his part Mr Zelensky struck a more conciliatory note during a press conference with Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg.
Asked later by the press if the wrangling over accession would depress morale near the frontline, Mr Zelensky said a new Nato-Ukraine council would give Ukrainians the “spirit” needed.
Ben Wallace said: ‘We are not Amazon… I told them that last year’
In a tweet, he also expressed gratitude to the UK for its support, after a one-to-one meeting with Mr Sunak.
Earlier Mr Wallace insisted that it was a matter of “when, not if” Ukraine joins the group. He also argued that a clear pathway for membership had been set out – that after the war ends Ukraine will join if it continues to make progress on political reform.
But, in a briefing with journalists, the defence secretary added that he had advised the Ukrainians to show they were grateful for the support they have received during a bloody conflict which has now lasted more than 500 days.
“Whether we like it or not, people want to see gratitude,” he said. “You know, my counsel to the Ukrainians is sometimes, ‘Look, you are persuading countries to give up their own stocks and yes, your war is a noble war and we see it as you waging a war not just for yourselves but for our freedoms.”
Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden with Volodymyr Zelensky at Nato
