Shapps urges Trump not to abandon Ukraine – ‘He wants to back a winner’
The Defence Secretary is urging Donald Trump not to cut aid to Ukraine if he wins the US presidential election.
Speaking exclusively to GB News in Poland, as he watched UK troops take part in a NATO exercise, Grant Shapps warned the former US President “it’s cheaper by half the price to absolutely back Ukraine now.”
However, Shapps said he does not expect the Republican’s presumptive nominee to abandon the Eastern European county.
“Trump wants to back a winner, and I think Ukraine can and ultimately will win this battle,” he said.
“If there’s one thing Donald Trump doesn’t want to see it’s other leaders looking at the west and coming to the conclusion that America won’t step up when it comes to it”.
Donald Trump has promised supporters he could end Russia’s war with Ukraine “within 24 hours” if he gets re-elected.
However, last week, after meeting in Florida, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Trump’s solution would be to stop funding Ukraine’s fight against Putin.
“He will not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war. That is why the war will end,” Orban said.
It has sparked concern that Trump could force President Zelenskyy to hand territory over to Vladimir Putin.
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But Shapps is not convinced.
“Ukraine isn’t just in the interest of Europeans. It’s in the interest of the civilized world,” he said.
“I happen to think that Trump will want to defend America’s widest possible position.”
Last month, the Defence Secretary urged Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress to approve an additional $60billion in military aid for Ukraine.
Shapps warned that other countries could fall victim to Russia or China if Nato countries do not last the distance.
“Imagine what could happen to Taiwan if the lesson is the west will get fatigued,” he said.
“Putin is a wakeup call moment… We must spend to protect ourselves.”
The comments come as the Defence Secretary confirmed the UK has ordered 14 state-of-the art Chinook helicopters from the United States.
The choppers will be used to provide versatile heavy-lift capability over extended ranges.
Previous Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had threatened to cancel the contract after costs spiralled from £1.4 billion to £2.3 billion.
“I’m grateful for Ben putting a halt to it. It enabled me to negotiate a better deal reducing the cost of the project by £300 million,” Shapps said.
The helicopter, which can carry up to 55 personnel or 10,000 kg of cargo, has double the range of a standard Chinook and is capable of air-to-air refuelling.
Shapps made the announcement today after meeting crew members from one of the Chinooks in the Royal Air Force’s existing fleet.
“The addition of these Chinook helicopters marks a significant milestone in our efforts to modernise and enhance the agility of the UK Armed Forces,” he added.
As part of the deal, UK companies will also produce components critical for manufacturing and maintaining the Chinooks, with an estimated boost of £151million to UK businesses.