UK sees direct threat from the alliance between Russia and China

UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps. Stock photo: Getty Images

UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said that the growing alliance between Russia and China poses a threat to Western countries, and called on European countries to increase military assistance to Ukraine.

Source: Bloomberg, European Pravda reports

Details: Discussing the impact of the growing alliance between Russia and China in a Sunday interview with Sky News, Shapps said it was a “direct threat to our way of life”.

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“If we cherish our freedom and cherish our democracy, we have to be concerned that they’re linking together,” he said.

The comments came after Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s recent trip to China, where he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to strengthen cooperation against US “containment” of their countries and warned of rising nuclear tensions with the West.

Discussing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the UK Defence Secretary said that other European countries should provide more assistance.

“We are in an existential battle about the way that we run the world order. We have to stand up to that,” Shapps concluded.

Background: 

• UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps commented on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s decision to declare the defence attaché of the British Embassy in Moscow persona non grata.
• In early May, the United Kingdom announced the expulsion of the Russian defence attaché, an undeclared military intelligence officer, and the removal of diplomatic status from several Russian properties in the UK that are suspected of being used for the purposes of espionage.
• London also imposed further restrictions on the issuance of Russian diplomatic visas, including limiting the length of time Russian diplomats can stay in the UK.
• In response, on 16 May, Russia announced the expulsion of the British Embassy’s defence attaché and threatened that further action would follow.

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