British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Wednesday that it was in America’s interest to continue supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, and that the US was at its strongest when it engaged with the rest of the world.
The UK is at the forefront of efforts to bolster Ukraine’s armed forces, train soldiers and send arms while fending off the Russian invasion.
But officials have privately expressed concern that a growing strain of isolationism among Republicans who support Donald Trump’s America First stance could stifle aid from Washington, which has so far sent $40 billion in military aid — by far its largest contributor.
Cleverly, who was in the US to attend the Aspen Security Forum, told DailyMail.com he was confident it was a minority view for now.
But he said his message to skeptics was that the world should stick with Ukraine.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said it was in America’s interest to continue supporting Ukraine in its war with Ukraine. He appeared on the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday
The US announced another $1.3 billion in aid to Ukraine on Wednesday. Past equipment has included the TOW missile system used here in a Kentucky exercise
“Because if we don’t, if we let Putin win, if we don’t uphold the principle that you can’t change borders by force, then the world has become a more dangerous place,” he said.
“That’s going to be more disruptive, more expensive, and so it’s better that we tackle this problem now and do it the right way rather than a few years down the line.”
Hardline Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have criticized the Biden administration for spending billions on Ukraine while failing to close the southern border.
Others have highlighted how American families grapple with rising bills as money flows abroad.
Cleverly said that was the wrong way to see America’s place in the world.
“My observation is that if you look through America’s history, it’s seen its greatest period of diplomatic influence and economic scale when it was most engaged internationally,” he said on the phone as he waited for his plane to leave for London at the end of his trip.
The country became the world’s largest economy during a period in the 20th century when it looked outward rather than inward.
A resident takes a photo of a crater in an Odessa cemetery, hit in a rocket attack on July 19, 2023, amid the fighting in Ukraine
British officials are personally concerned that another Trump presidency could stifle aid to Ukraine. Boris Johnson recently met with the former president to try and keep him on board
“And during that period, while it did indeed spend a lot of money outside its own borders, it also saw massive economic booms and increasing diplomatic power,” he said.
So my observation is that it is in America’s self-interest to remain a committed international player.
“I think, of course, that’s where the head and the heart of America are. And yes, I think that’s good for the world.’
Trump is the most prominent of the Ukrainian skeptics. He has complained about the impact the war has had on U.S. military supplies such as missile systems, vehicles, and munitions that have been shipped to the battlefield.
He says he would immediately pressure both sides to end the conflict, raising fears that a settlement could allow Russia to keep the occupied territory.
British politicians are engaged in a not-so-secret operation to maintain US cash flow.
The day before, Cleverly chaired a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the promise and pitfalls of artificial intelligence. The UK holds the rotating presidency of the body
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a staunch ally of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, reportedly met with the former president in May to remind him of the importance of a Ukrainian victory.
“If anyone can do it, it’s Boris,” says a Western diplomatic source.
Cleverly himself met with Republicans in Washington during a visit in May to gauge their position since they took control of the House during midterms last year.
And during this visit, he did his best to tell his American audience that the conflict had not reached a stalemate and that it was vital to continue the flow of aid.
“Don’t be under any illusions that Russia is losing. Ukraine is winning,” he said at the Aspen Security Forum, a gathering of world leaders, analysts and military officers in Colorado.
Wars are not like movies, he said, and now is not the time to give up on Ukraine because progress is slow.
“Russian forces have spent the winter digging,” he said.
“They have littered the south and southeast of Ukraine with minefields with trench systems, with physical barricades, and the Ukrainians are retaking territory over the course of weeks that Russia took months to acquire.
“Russia is losing on the battlefield and we must not be seduced by Russian propaganda that this is somehow a stalemate. It’s not.’