“We can’t take our foot off the accelerator now,” Liz Truss
The British Foreign Office is hard at work. In the last two weeks, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has made numerous statements. The main message communicated by the head of British diplomacy is to assemble a global military alliance against Russia and China.
Evidently, the flock of war hawks has gathered in the UK government, which includes, among others, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss. All three are working in concert on one task. If this task is successfully implemented, to some extent, we can talk about the revenge of the British Empire in its new incarnation as Global Britain.
The UK has been successful at making its neighbors pull its chestnuts out of the fire for centuries, and the current conflict on European soil is not an exception. Russia must lose the clash in Ukraine and pay reparations to the West as a result of its defeat. And a conflict with China is in the offing.
A large military force is necessary to succeed in confrontation with Russia and China. NATO alliance will become the base for such force after it will significantly strengthen due to the increased military spending and extending membership to new countries. London demonstrates flexible tactics: a military conflict will take place, but at the expense of other parties, under the control of the UK.
What Mrs. Truss and her partners are achieving in Europe fits well into this logic. Let us examine two major interviews Truss gave in May to the British tabloid Daily Express and the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. “We do not seek regime change in Moscow. But let me be clear: a weakened Russia is the consequence of Putin’s decision to launch an unprovoked invasion. We want a conclusive end to the conflict, with Russia constrained,” the minister said on May 14 to the Daily Express.
The British politician promised to supply Kiev with weapons, including armored vehicles and aircraft, until the final victory over Moscow. According to her, it is necessary to increase pressure on Russia while Russian troops are in Ukraine. Later, Liz Truss offered to equip the Moldovan army according to NATO standards, since Moscow threatens Kishenyov.
Liz Truss stressed the same points when answered questions to the Italian Corriere della Sera on May 20. She noted that London is cooperating with the EU to help Kiev, to defeat Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. The Italian correspondent asked about Liz Truss’ thesis regarding “Ukraine’s victory” and what it would imply.
According to Truss, Russia must leave all the territories it occupied during the special military operation to denazify Ukraine. “We want Russia to leave all the territories it has invaded,” the head of the British Foreign Office said. She added that it must be not only Donbass, but Crimea too. At the same time, when she was saying that Russia should “bear the responsibility,” Truss failed to explain what exactly it would imply.
The Italian correspondent reminded to the head of the British Foreign Office that Italy seeks to end the military conflict in Ukraine and resume negotiations, and not considering this war as “ours.” In response, Truss did not skimp on flattery. According to her, Britain works closely with Europe, a high level of cooperation is seen in the G7 club of industrialized nations, where Italy “has been an absolutely fantastic participant.”
Truss made it clear that the West should think not only about taming unruly Russia, but also plan for the future conflict with China. On the eve of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers, the head of the British Foreign Office announced the task of forming a global military alliance.
“It is important that we focus on a global NATO,” stressed the diplomat, discussing the situation in the Indo-Pacific region. Truss also supported the expansion of NATO with Sweden and Finland joining the alliance. Later in Turin, Italy, Truss stressed that 2% of the GDP should be the starting point and not the limit for calculating a contribution for NATO members states.
The UK has found a way how to isolate Russia and China, wrote the Daily Mail on May 18. London wants to win over the developing countries, which are now allied with Beijing and Moscow.
“So our development strategy is about creating a strong alternative offer that is honest and reliable and that helps those countries develop in the direction that is going to lead to a sustainable future,” the head of the British Foreign Office said.
The UK has applied a fair amount of pressure on Ukraine and European countries persuading them to continue a military conflict with Russia, instead of seeking a diplomatic solution. In almost every official statement on behalf of the Foreign Office to European allies, Truss puts emphasis on the task of fighting the “Putin’s regime.”
Liz Truss is regularly on Twitter (organization banned in Russia) making statements such as, “ Italy is an important partner at the heart of our efforts to push Putin out of Ukraine and ensure it wins the battle for freedom and democracy”; “Congratulations @AmbColonna [Catherine Colonna] on your appointment as French Foreign Minister – look forward to working with you to ensure Putin loses in Ukraine and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is restored”
Liz Truss visited Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she tried to warn European allies not to make peace with Russia. “We can’t take our foot off the accelerator now,” said the diplomat on May 26. The head of the British Foreign Office seeks to achieve a goal – to close the ranks of the allies and to supply Kiev with weapons. In the Balkans, Truss demanded to respond with force to Russia’s special operation in Ukraine. “Russia’s aggression cannot be appeased. It must be met with strength. And we cannot allow a prolonged and increasingly painful conflict to develop in Ukraine. That means backing Ukraine in their brave defence of their country. We must be relentless in delivering military aid and sanctions,” the Foreign Secretary said.
“The problem is that [Boris] Johnson is effectively stoking a war in which the UK is not a combatant. Instead, Ukrainians are fighting and dying, and their country is being devastated and depopulated.,” Pankaj Mishra wrote on May 19 in his article for Bloomberg. According to Mishra, Boris Johnson’s cabinet demonstrates adventurism, where Johnson’s subordinates – Secretary of Defense Wallace and Foreign Secretary Truss – can surpass Johnson himself with even more bellicose rhetoric.
Bloomberg has mentioned that Liz Truss was photographed on a tank and promised to support British volunteers in their fight in Ukraine. “As my Bloomberg Opinion colleague Max Hastings pointed out last week, ‘football supporters baying from the away stands’ rather than the foreign and defense ministers of a serious country,” Mishra added.
So, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson found a common ground with key ministers on the issue of a military conflict in Europe. In May, British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss has visited several countries and talked with key European allies.
Liz Truss is no longer careful with what she’s saying and essentially speaking as if the UK had declared war on Russia. From time to time, the head of the British Foreign Office stresses an unyielding position, putting pressure on all partners who, for some reason, are seeking for peace with Russia.
London threatens Kremlin with blows to the economy and a military defeat in Ukraine, with the loss of sovereignty over Russian territories, including Crimea.
Liz Truss is fueling the conflict, making Russia’s neighbors – Moldova, Sweden and Finland, get involved into it. However, there is a hope that political and civil forces in the West will understand the danger of a major military conflict with Russia. Time will tell which side prevails. But the experience of recent months shows that much can be achieved if one is resolute to draw those who understand well the current situation into the war.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
