'Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this government and this Prime Minister,' the new Defence Secretary said
Wes Streeting has issued a warning to Vladimir Putin’s Russia after a warship opened fire perilously close to British waters.
The new Defence Secretary branded the launching of a live-fire artillery exercise around 40 nautical miles south of Plymouth as “performative and irresponsible”.
The Neustrashimy, a frigate in Russia’s Baltic fleet, informed the Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel HMS Tyne that it intended to conduct the exercise yesterday.
“Yesterday's events were performative and irresponsible,” Mr Streeting said of the incident.
“It's not the first time that Russia has behaved like this, and frankly, it's the tip of the iceberg of the daily threats that this country faces and our allies face.
“Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this government and this Prime Minister, our resolve to stand against Russian aggression in Ukraine, but also Russian aggression against all of our allies.
“The commitment that the Prime Minister has given to the defence of our nation is clear, and will be even clearer in the coming months,” the new Defence Secretary said.
