Russian live-fire exercise off the British coast on Monday was “performative and irresponsible”, new Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said in his first full day in the job.
Streeting's warning to Russia
Mr Streeting warned that “Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this Government and this Prime Minister” in his first engagement as Defence Secretary.
The live-fire exercise took place 40 nautical miles (46 miles) off the coast of Plymouth on Monday, the same day Andy Burnham entered Government as the new Prime Minister.
Royal Navy monitoring
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the Royal Navy “continues to track the vessel’s activity closely, and stands ready to protect UK national security”.
Mr Streeting was asked for his response to the incident as he welcomed defence ministers from Japan, Italy and Canada to London to discuss the Global Combat Air Programme, a pact between the countries to develop a new generation of fighter jets.
Streeting's comments
He told reporters: “We should see yesterday’s events as performative and irresponsible. It’s not the first time that Russia has behaved like this, and frankly, it’s the tip of the iceberg of the daily threats that this country faces and our allies face.
“Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this Government and this Prime Minister, our resolve to stand against Russian aggression in Ukraine, but also Russian aggression against all of our allies.”
