Ukraine Russia Conflict: British defence minister hits out on Putin over his victory day speech

The British defence secretary Ben Wallace has criticized  Vladimir Putin’s speech on victory day, he said “President Putin has made a number of fairytale claims for months and years now. It’s literally getting...If it wasn’t so tragic it would be amusing, but it isn’t."

“One of his claims is that he is surrounded. Nato accounts for 6 percent of his land border. That’s not being surrounded if only 6 percent of your land border is Nato countries" he added.

“He claimed that there were Nato bases in Ukraine and I’m sure the Ukrainian ambassador will tell you there weren’t any Nato bases in Ukraine," he said.

“I think he is believing what he wants to believe - a slight shine of desperation. But let me put on the record categorically: Nato, Britain, eastern Europe is not planning to invade Russia and never has done" he said. 

Meanwhile, Russia on 24th February launched its invasion of Ukraine. And, according to the latest updates, Ukraine will prevail over Russia as freedom prevailed over the Nazi dictatorship in 1945, Scholz said in a TV address to mark the 77th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that 60 people who were sheltering in a school in Bilohorivka were killed when Russian forces bombed it this weekend. 

However, More than 170 civilians were successfully evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol and have arrived in Zaporizhzhia. Officials said that more than 600 people have been evacuated from Azovstal and Mariupol in total. Also, US president Joe Biden and other G7 leaders held a video call with Zelenskiy in a show of unity ahead of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations. The G7 said it was committed to phasing out or banning Russian oil and denounced Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.