‘We’re not Amazon’: UK’s brutal warning to Ukraine

The swift reminder on behalf of the NATO alliance came hours after Volodymyr Zelensky had been less than complimentary about the ‘absurd’ membership situation.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky holds a press conference during the NATO summit in Vilnius. Picture: AFP

When the British defence secretary Ben Wallace lashed Volodymyr Zelensky, warning him of the appropriateness of presenting an “Amazon list’’ of military items to countries, the message was not just one from one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters and suppliers of military weapons and training.

Here was Wallace, from a country that delivers messages mired in subtext delivering the bluntest of warnings on behalf of the NATO alliance to the Ukrainian leader who only hours before had been less than complimentary about the “absurd” NATO situation.

Mr Zelensky had bristled that the NATO alliance meeting here in Vilnius had not provided Ukraine with a timeline for NATO membership, hitting out that the NATO alliance was creating a window of opportunity to bargain Ukraine’s membership in NATO in negotiations with Russia.

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, with Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, arrives for the NATO Summit in Vilnius. Picture: AFP

Mr Wallace swiftly and somewhat brutally reminded the Ukrainian leadership of the political reality that the NATO leaders had to sell the message to their own electorate about the many millions of taxpayer dollars that are being spent on long range missiles, ammunition, tanks, jet training for Ukraine.

The United States has directed more than $75 billion: Britain, Germany, Poland, and Canada have also made hefty contributions measured in many billions, not millions.

Britain has supported Ukraine from before the war began and has been the first mover in providing training to troops and now to fighter pilots.

Mr Wallace described how he had arrived in Kyiv and was immediately handed with a list. ”I said to the Ukrainians last year, when I drove 11 hours to [Kyiv to] be given a list – I said, I am not Amazon.”

He said: ‘There is a slight word of caution here which is that, whether we like it or not, people want to see gratitude.’

“My counsel to the Ukrainians … you’re persuading countries to give up their own stocks. And yes the war is a noble war and yes we see it as you doing a war for not just yourself but our freedoms.

“But sometimes you’ve got to persuade lawmakers on the Hill in America. You’ve got to persuade doubting politicians in other countries that it’s worth it and it’s worthwhile and they’re getting something for it. ‘Whether you like that or not, that is just the reality of it.”

Mr Zelensky of course bristled at the criticism, but he didn’t resile from his lobbying. In his 20 minutes with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, he later admitted pushing for “expansion of military support with new types of armoured vehicles and weapons and the need for further sanctions against Russia”.

Mr Albanese, having committed one of the countries Wedgetail reconnaissance planes and 100 personnel to the coalition effort, added another 30 Bushmasters to head to the war zone. Clearly there could be more.

In his Summit press conference, Mr Zelensky, dressed in his military khaki coloured T-shirt, said he “didn’t understand” Mr Wallace.

“We could get up in the morning and express our words of gratitude personally to the minister”, he joked, adding that Ukraine was always grateful to the UK.

By the end of the two days of talks, after having private meeting with US president Joe Biden and the NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltemberg, the language had changed. Mr Biden had thundered: “The defence of freedom is not the work of a day or a year. It’s the calling of our lifetime. Of all time. We are steeled for the struggle ahead. Our unity will not falter I promise you.”

Mr Zelensky noted how “a significant success is very much needed for Ukraine”, but stressed he was “grateful to all the leaders and all NATO countries for their very practical and unprecedented support for Ukraine”.

He said there are security guarantees for Ukraine during the movement into NATO, “a very important package of guarantees” and was effusive of the security guarantees promised by the Big Seven: the US, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan.

“The Ukrainian delegation is returning home with a significant security victory for our people, for our state. This opens up completely new security possibilities for us,’’ Mr Zelensky said. He appeared grateful.