Misunderstanding resolved: Ukrainian minister responds to UK's accusations of ingratitude
Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba (Photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
In a recent statement, the UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace's claim that Ukraine fails to show enough gratitude to London for its support in the war against Russia has been labeled a regrettable misunderstanding.
"I believe it was a regrettable misunderstanding on the part of the British minister (referring to the head of the UK Ministry of Defense, Ben Wallace). In fact, the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, refuted the words of his minister and stated that he values Ukraine's gratitude, which is regularly expressed in various forms," said Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, in an interview with Ukrainian TV.
Kuleba emphasized that there is no basis for accusing Ukraine of ingratitude. He stated, "But the truth is that, excuse me, we are at war. And when foreign colleagues, ministers, and journalists ask me often, 'Have you received enough weapons?' I say, 'There will never be enough weapons as long as our path to victory continues.' When we achieve victory, then I will say, 'Thank you, we had enough weapons.'"
The minister also revealed that the Ukrainian delegation sat alongside the British delegation at the NATO summit in Vilnius. During the summit, defense ministers of different countries agreed on an important military decision regarding weapons, which Wallace approved.
Kuleba said that all decisions continue to be made as necessary. He added, "And as for someone not considering themselves an Amazon (online store), we are not against them becoming an Amazon. Let them remain a large warehouse of British weapons open to Ukraine. We are grateful to everyone, to the country that provided one shell and to the country that provided a hundred thousand shells. We are grateful to all of them," the minister concluded.
Wallace's statement
The Defense Minister stated that he "wants to see at least a little gratitude from Ukraine" for the assistance his country provides. He added that Western countries are not Amazon and cannot fulfill all of Ukraine's requests.
Following Wallace's remarks, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had to clarify his colleague's statements. He noted that President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people have expressed gratitude to his country multiple times for the assistance provided.
President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has always been grateful to Britain for its support, making Wallace's statement unjustified.
