Liz Truss, the UK’s foreign secretary, has called on liberal governments to “face global aggressors” in a speech accused of targeting Russia and China.
Truss said Moscow and Beijing were “encouraging in a way we haven’t seen since the end of the war” in a speech at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based think tank, after the talks. with their Australian counterparts.
Truss and Ben Wallace, UK Secretary of Defense, are in Sydney to discuss with the Australian government the following closer security ties. signed the Aukus agreement last year. The deal between London, Canberra and Washington is designed to allow Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines as part of efforts to counter an increasingly assertive China.
The Australian Foreign Minister and Marise Payne, Australia’s foreign minister, signed an agreement on Thursday to work together to combat cyber threats and increase infrastructure investment to strengthen stability in the Indian region. Degree – Pacific Ocean.
Truss used his speech to ask Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, to step back from being able to conflict with Ukraine “Before he makes a big strategic mistake”.
Moscow has massed more than 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine, and Western allies including the US have warned that Putin could planning an invasion. Russia has denied any such intention.
“The invasion will only lead to a terrible quagmire and loss of life, as we know from the Soviet-Afghan war and the conflict in Chechnya,” Truss said.
She also argued for stronger alliances between nations including Australia, Britain, Japan, India, Indonesia and Israel to limit the growing power of “global aggressors”.
“They seek to export dictatorship as a service around the world. That is why regimes like Belarus, North Korea and Myanmar find their closest allies in Moscow and Beijing,” she said.
At a press conference alongside Wallace and Payne, as well as Peter Dutton, Australia’s defense minister, Truss sought to further justify the need for alliances like Aukus.
She cites China’s “economic coercion” against Australia and LithuaniaRussia’s military “aggression” and Iran’s attempt to secure a nuclear weapon are challenges that require protected trade routes and increased security in the region.
Payne backed the comments, saying liberal democracies cannot tolerate the “unbridled aggression” of authoritarian governments.
Wallace added that there was “nothing to talk about” when asked if Britain could set up a military base in Australia.
Powerful speech by the UK foreign minister, quoted by Margaret Thatcher, delivered as Boris Johnson war served as prime minister in the face of domestic controversy and an uprising among Conservative MPs.
Truss has been tipped as a potential candidate to replace Johnson if he resigns following an investigation into the so-called Partygate scandal, involving a series of events in Downing Street that allegedly broke coronavirus restrictions.
She reiterated in Sydney that she is “100%” behind Johnson and wants him to keep the job.
