Ukraine will not join NATO anytime soon, nor will it receive the now-depleted weapon stockpiles of the West, yet their offensive will take back Crimea by the end of the year—thus raved U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, during an interview to the Washington Post titled “Britain’s Defense Chief, a Contender To Run NATO, Lays Out His Vision.” Given that Wallace is vying to become the next Secretary General of NATO, his interview could be seen as a stump speech to the Washington elites that believe that, together with London, they still run the world. Wallace’s campaign, as “an old white guy” in the era of “woke NATO,” faces an uphill battle, given that other contenders like Ursula von der Leyen and Chrystia Freeland still identify as women. However, Wallace’s statements to the Post indicate a desperate commitment to the geopolitical aims of London, which are increasingly challenged by the new system being enunciated around the world and taking shape with organizations like BRICS-Plus. The following are quotes from the Washington Post interview with Wallace.
NATO membership for Ukraine: “We have to be realistic and say, ‘It’s not going to happen at Vilnius; It’s not going to happen anytime soon,’” he said, referring to a NATO leaders summit scheduled for this summer in Lithuania’s capital. ‘But what can those powers that want to be more forward-leaning do to help Ukraine, and to give it not 100 percent but a similar effect to what NATO delivers?’”
On dwindling Western stockpiles of weapons for Ukraine: “As the conflict grinds on, Wallace said Western countries remain supportive of providing weapons and funding to Ukraine without pressuring leaders in Kiev to negotiate with Russia or make concessions. ‘But we have seen reality, which is that we are all running out’ of defense equipment that can be donated, Wallace said, meaning that Britain and other countries are being forced to buy more weapons than donate them from national stockpiles.”
On Ukraine taking Crimea this year: “And contrary to the private ruminations of some other NATO officials, Wallace said there was a real possibility Ukraine could successfully retake Crimea, the peninsula Putin illegally annexed in 2014, this year as Russian forces run out of needed equipment. ‘What we’ve seen on the battlefield is that, if you punch Russian forces in the wrong place, they’ll actually collapse,” he said. “You can send young men to die in their tens of thousands, which is what they do, but you can’t magic up tanks and weapons systems that they need.’ ”
So, according to Wallace, Ukraine will be able to take Crimea by the end of this year, with weapons supplied by the West, which Wallace says has no more weapons to give. It is assumed that Wallace’s statement of not giving Ukraine “100 percent, but a similar effect to what NATO delivers,” is a reference to recent proposals for NATO security guarantees for Kiev. However, perhaps NATO plans to deliver something else to Ukraine—ground forces? Or nuclear weapons? These cannot be entirely ruled out, given that Wallace’s suggesting that “Ukraine could take Crimea this year” is nearly as insane.
