Their unscripted remarks, at separate events on the margins of the second day of the Nato summit in Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, appeared to prompt a change of tack from the Ukraine's president, who said later he was "grateful to all leaders of Nato countries" for their support and help.
Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said "whether we like it or not, people want to see a bit of gratitude", when asked about Zelenskiy's frustration at not being presented with a formal invitation to join Nato - and advised Ukraine that it might help if it took a different approach.
Presenting his remarks as helpful advice, Wallace said Ukraine had a habit of treating allies, including the UK, as if they were an Amazon warehouse with lists of demands for weapons - and was not always careful to try to win over more sceptical politicians in the US Congress and elsewhere. "Sometimes you're persuading countries to give up their own stocks [of munitions]," Wallace said, adding: "Sometimes you've got to persuade lawmakers in America... to persuade doubting politicians in other countries that you know that it's worth, that it is worthwhile," he said.
Wallace said it was not the first time he had spoken to Kyiv about this, adding: "I told them that last year, when I drove 11 hours to be given a list, that I'm not like Amazon."
Once it had obtained one type of weapon, Ukraine had a habit of immediately starting to lobby for another, he added.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin July 13, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin July 13, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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