Britain not to persuade Ukraine to cede part of territories - Shapps

British Defense Minister Grant Shapps said on Tuesday that London would not be putting pressure on Kyiv toward giving up part of its territories in order to sign a peace agreement with Russia.

This was reported by Politico with reference to Times Radio, Ukrinform saw.

The statement came as a response to the report by Sunday Times claiming the Minister of Foreign Affairs, David Cameron, during a meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump allegedly discussed the idea of having Ukraine and Russia strike a peace deal, and also convinced the American politician to support continued military aid to Ukraine against the background of opposition from part of the GOP camp.

"There is just no sense at all in which Britain would try to persuade, strong-arm or otherwise, Ukraine into accepting giving up some of their territory. That's a decision entirely for Ukraine," Shapps said.

"It's right that we provide both the military assistance and the moral clarity that it is always unacceptable for an autocrat to walk into a neighboring democratic country," the defense secretary told the BBC. “We should stand behind them fully in order to eject Russia from all of their territory."

At the same time, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, when asked about the Sunday Times article, said he had not read the piece, adding that Britain always leads when it comes to Ukraine.

As Ukrinform reported, in April 2023, Polish President Andrzej Duda said Western politicians and some foreign leaders who call for a quick peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine are acting to Russia’s benefit.