Defence secretary Ben Wallace contradicts Liz Truss and urges Britons not to fight in Ukraine
Ben Wallace also hints at U-turn after UK denied asylum to refugees unless partners or children of British residents
The defence secretary has urged British volunteers not to fight in Ukraine, one day after Liz Truss welcomed them joining the āstruggleā against Russiaās invasion.
Ben Wallace said only trained military personnel would be of use in the fighting ā and that Foreign Office advice to Britons is not to āput yourselves in harmās wayā by making the journey.
āUnless you are properly trained, unless you are an experienced member of the armed forces, there are better ways for you to contribute to the security of Ukraine,ā he said.
Mr Wallace also hinted at a U-turn on the UKās strongly criticised decision to deny asylum to refugees fleeing Ukraine, unless they are the spouses, civil partners or children of British residents.
In contrast, the EU ā which says it is expecting 7 million people to flee the war ā has said it will accept refugees for up to three years without the need for asylum applications.
Calling the UKās move āa first stepā, the defence secretary noted the āchangeā in Brusselsā stance and told Sky News: āWe will reflect on that and make decisions in the near future.ā
Mr Wallace also argued the invasion is still in āsome disarrayā, with Russiaās forces still behind schedule 20km north of Kyiv, although they were making better progress in the south.
āThey are behind schedule, they are taking significant casualties and they are feeling public rejection in parts of the Russian system itself ā weāve seen many protests,ā he told BBC Breakfast.

However, Mr Wallace warned: āThe Russian handbook is to then get more violent and commit more forces because, fundamentally in the Russian doctrine, the lives of their own soldiers matter much less than in other armed forces.
āSo we have to brace ourselves for what may come next, which could be ruthless, indiscriminate bombing of cities and propelling forward of soldiers and high casualty levels, and thatās going to be horrific.ā
He also urged Britons not to be āunduly alarmedā by Vladimir Putin putting his nuclear forces on high alert, which he called a ābig attempt to distractā from the setbacks which have hit the Kremlinās invasion.

Ms Truss raised eyebrows when, on Sunday she responded to an appeal by Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraineās foreign minister, for foreigners to join an International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine.
Asked if she supported the call, the foreign secretary, replied: āI do support that. Of course that is something that people can make their own decisions about.
She added: āAbsolutely if people want to support that struggle, I would support them doing that.ā
But the comments were ridiculed by Tobias Ellwood, the Tory chair of the Commons defence committee, who tweeted: āWe say NO to tasking the NATO alliance ā but now endorse UK civilians, with no military training, to go and fight in Ukraine!
āPlease do NOT go if you have no combat experience. You may get yourself and others who have to look after you, killed.ā
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