Ben Wallace warns against foreign withdrawal from Kherson

The loss of the city is a huge blow for Putin and his forces as it was the only regional capital Russia successfully held onto since February. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the retreat from the west bank of the Dnipro River after General Sergei Surovikin admitted it was a ‘very difficult decision’.Following the announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that there is ‘always resistance from the enemy’.An advisor to Zelensky’s office, Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted: ‘Actions speak louder than words. We see no signs that Russia is leaving Kherson without a fight.’By Thursday the White House said they had identified some signs of preparations for a withdrawal from Russia but made clear it did not mean the war was in its final days.Despite this, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said he would ‘believe it when we see it’ but admitted the retreat would be a ‘significant psychological blow’ for Russian soldiers. Mr Wallace warned against removing foreign aid from Kherson (Image: Getty) The Kherson retreat is a source of embarrassment for Putin (Image: Getty)The comments were made at a meeting of minister from the Joint Expeditionary Force nations in Edinburgh.Dr Mark Galeotti, author of ‘Putin’s Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine’ told Sky News that he believed Putin’s last resort is to ‘dig in’ and let the war ‘roll on as long as it takes’ so the West would tire of providing aid.Despite these comments, Mr Wallace urged nations to recommit their support to Ukraine, with the 10 European nations of the defence alliance vowing to support the ‘sovereignty and territorial integrity’ of Ukraine.The Netherlands pledged a further £87million to fund military aid for Ukraine as the members of the alliance emphasised that peace negotiations with Russia is Ukraine’s decision to make.READ MORE: Russia’s Kherson humiliation is no bluff, Putin’s war is over – STU… President Zelensky warned against trusting Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson (Image: Getty) The Defence Secretary warned of “Russian tricks” (Image: Getty)Mr Wallace said: ‘What we’ve all been helping Ukraine fight for is the right to choose.’It’s not for me to tell Ukraine what it shouldn’t negotiate on.’More important than what they do with their choice is that they have the right to choose as a free sovereign state without pressure, without a gun to its head from the Kremlin.’The comments come after a report in the Washington Post claimed that the United States had encouraged Ukraine to engage in negotiations with Russia.Speaking of the retreat from Kherson, the Defence Secretary said: ‘It must be quite a significant psychological blow that the one objective they did manage to capture, they have announced their intention to leave.DON’T MISS:Trump’s ‘ego overrides reason’ as ex-POTUS looks set to face DeSantis (REVEAL)Insiders warn Trump’s ‘protest’ call is ‘strategic’ play ahead of 2024 (INSIGHT)Trump will not detract from midterms but will make ‘announcement’ soon (REVEAL) The White House said it had detected signals of a preparation of withdrawal (Image: Getty)’Of course, this is Russia, so we haven’t yet seen them leave en masse.’We will believe it when we see it and I think we should all be cautious, as President Zelensky was, that there is still Russian tricks and all sorts of things.’He added: ‘If they do pull out of Kherson it does beg that broader question of what was it all for?’What was all the tens of thousands of deaths for when every one of their major objectives they have failed to hold or capture since February?’