Ukraine: Cosying up to Russia would make cost of living crisis ‘100 times worse’, says minister

Trying to repair relations with Moscow would be ‘catastrophic’, says UK Armed Forces minister

Re-establishing relations with Russia would be “catastrophic” and make the cost of living crisis “100 times worse”, Britain’s Armed Forces minister has said.

James Heappey said any moves to repair ties with Moscow would only “embolden” Vladimir Putin and allow him to expand beyond Ukraine, as he urged the West to continue backing Volodymyr Zelensky’s country.

Speaking as Ukrainians mark 31 years of freedom from the Soviet Union, the defence minister acknowledged some Britons “worrying about the cost of living” would want things to go back to normal.