Speaking to Sky News this morning, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has dismissed Vladimir Putin’s comments that Russia is “ready” for war with Europe as the “same old sabre-rattling”.
As we mentioned earlier, the Russian leader said yesterday if Europe “wants to wage a war with us and starts it, we are ready right away”.
Asked if the UK is ready for a war with Russia, Streeting said: “I think we should see this for what it is, which is the same old sabre-rattling we’ve heard from President Putin.
“And the irony of President Putin talking about warmongering on the part of European leaders would be laughable if what he’s doing in Ukraine weren’t so serious.”
He added that “we do take the threat from Russia seriously”.
He said it is fair to say that Labour had “inherited our armed forces in a condition that we would rather not have received” but that the government is “prioritising investment in defence”.
Watch Streeting’s comments in the video below…