Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Russia-Ukraine crisis: Whiff of Munich in the air, says Ben Wallace

Russia-Ukraine crisis: Whiff of Munich in the air, says Ben Wallace

Russia is "highly likely" to invade Ukraine despite ongoing diplomatic efforts, the defence secretary says.

Ben Wallace said there was a "whiff of Munich in the air" - a reference to diplomacy that failed to prevent World War Two.

Minister Brandon Lewis said Mr Wallace was expressing concern that "Russia has continued to move troops" during talks.

Moscow has denied any plans to invade Ukraine but has amassed more than 100,000 troops near the border.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr Wallace said: "It may be that he [Putin] just switches off his tanks and we all go home but there is a whiff of Munich in the air from some in the West."

Prior to World War Two, European powers pursued a policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany, culminating in an agreement at Munich to allow the invasion of Czechoslovakian territories - a betrayal of allies which failed in its goal of preventing war.

Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, said the comparison of diplomatic efforts with Russia to appeasement was unhelpful.

He told the BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme: "It's not the best time for us to offend our partners in the world, reminding them of this act which actually did not bring peace but the opposite - it bought war."

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told the BBC's Sunday Morning programme: "If you look back to that period of time there was a lot of diplomatic engagement, there was an optimism at the time, actually, that there may be a diplomatic way through.

"That eventually turned out not to be the case. It turned out that wasn't the intent or aim of Adolf Hitler at the time."

Mr Lewis said the fact Russia had not yet invaded could indicate talks were working, but he warned there remained a risk President Vladimir Putin may not be engaging sincerely.

In his interview, Mr Wallace also said Moscow could launch an "offensive at any time".

He later said on Twitter that because of the "worsening situation in Ukraine", he had cut short a long weekend abroad with his family.


One of the unofficial rules of British politics is to avoid historical allusions. Especially those relating to World War Two. They are open to interpretation.

So it is with Ben Wallace and his reference to the 1938 Munich agreement. Some have inferred from this that the defence secretary was accusing some allies of seeking to appease President Putin. Mr Wallace's advisers insist not.

They say he was instead suggesting it was possible the Russian leader had already decided to invade Ukraine, in the same way Hitler had already decided at Munich to occupy part of Czechoslovakia.

In other words, he was suggesting that all the current diplomacy may come to naught and the West should be ready for that.

At most, Mr Wallace was implying that some allies might be better to judge Mr Putin on his actions and not his words.

All of this is not to suggest there are no differences among Western leaders. Some European countries are less forthright than the United States in their predictions of a possible invasion of Ukraine.

Others in Europe are fearful of losing access to Russian energy and are more cautious about what sanctions to impose if it were to invade.

That aside, one of the striking aspects of this crisis is how Western powers have managed to remain largely united in their broad strategy of deterrence and diplomacy, regardless of differences over individual tactics and measures.

More than a dozen countries have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine immediately, including Britain.

On Saturday, Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said advice to UK nationals in Ukraine had changed because Russia could now attack "at no notice".

Mr Heappey warned that the RAF would not be able to "fly in" and rescue those who chose to stay, comparing the situation to the evacuation of Afghanistan last summer.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the "imminent" threat of military action justifies evacuating the US embassy in Kyiv.

Yvette Cooper, Labour's shadow home secretary, said a "very strong and united international response" was needed for "this Russian belligerence".

"It is immensely serious and nobody should be naive about what Russia is up to, and the scale of the troops amassing on the Ukraine border," she told BBC One's Sunday Morning programme.

Ms Cooper said there had to be "extremely strong and swift and severe" sanctions in the face of any incursion.


AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
China Presses Netherlands to “properly” Resolve the Nexperia Seizure as Supply Chain Risks Grow
Merz Attacks Migrants, Sparks Uproar, and Refuses to Apologize: “Ask Your Daughters”
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
×