Ex-UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps Warns Putin Against Misreading NATO Divisions As Weakness

 

Ex-UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps Warns Putin Against Misreading NATO Divisions As Weakness

He maintained that Britain and its European allies retain significant capacity to confront Russian aggression, even without the support of the United States.

Former United Kingdom Secretary of State of Defence for the United Kingdom Sir Grant Shapps has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against interpreting political disagreements within NATO as a sign of military weakness.

He maintained that Britain and its European allies retain significant capacity to confront Russian aggression, even without the support of the United States.

Shapps, a former Secretary of State for Defence, Business, Home, Transport and Energy Security and co-founder of Cambridge Aerospace, made the remarks in a post shared on his X account on Tuesday.

https://x.com/grantshapps/status/2089683563935354941?s=20

NATO is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military alliance between 32 member states. Founded in the aftermath of World War II, NATO was established with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949.

However, the former minister said that although NATO faced “genuine political divisions”, Russia should not miscalculate the strength of European countries acting together.

“NATO has genuine political divisions, but Putin shouldn’t mistake disagreement for weakness,” Shapps said.

According to him, “Britain, France, Germany and Poland alone spend around $318bn a year on defence – far more than Russia’s $190bn.

“Even without the US, Europe has the firepower. Putin should be very careful not to miscalculate.”

Shapps’ warning comes amid renewed tensions between Britain and Russia over the deepening military support provided by London to Ukraine in its war against Moscow.

The dispute escalated after reports on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had used drones manufactured by British companies in strikes against targets inside Russian territory.

According to The Sunday Times, Ukrainian forces deployed unmanned aircraft produced by two UK companies as part of a deep-strike campaign.

The reports have heightened concerns in Moscow over Britain’s increasingly direct role in supporting Ukraine’s military capabilities, with the Russian government accusing London of deliberately escalating the conflict.

Reacting to the report on Monday, the Russian Embassy in London said that the reports about the use of British-built drones “confirm that London is deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis.”

It accused the British government of seeking to “contain Russia and inflict maximum damage on it by proxy.”

“London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer,” the embassy said.

It further warned that the deeper Britain’s involvement in the war and its support for Kyiv’s military operations, the greater the consequences London would face.

The Russian warning has, however, failed to persuade the British government to scale back its support for Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has reiterated that his government would continue to stand firmly behind Kyiv, insisting that Britain would not be intimidated by threats from Moscow.

Asked about Russia’s accusation that Britain was escalating the war, Burnham said London’s position was consistent with the policy pursued by successive British governments since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“This is the UK doing what it has long said it would do, which is to support Ukraine 100 per cent against this illegal war led by Vladimir Putin,” Burnham said.

“We are providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself, and that’s been the British position all the way through this conflict by previous prime ministers.

“It remains the case with me. We are not fair-weather friends. We will be there in Ukraine’s hour of need, and that won’t change.”

The confrontation comes only weeks after Burnham met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Britain and reaffirmed London’s commitment to Kyiv.

During the July meeting at HM Naval Base Portsmouth, Burnham described Britain’s support for Ukraine as unwavering and pledged to honour commitments made to Kyiv.

Britain also announced that it would provide Ukraine with new, British-developed electronic warfare technology designed to protect Ukrainian drones from Russian air-defence systems.

The technology, known as “Stone Cloak”, is a military-grade jamming system designed to make Ukrainian drones harder for Russian air-defence systems to detect and target. British authorities said thousands of the devices had already been supplied to Ukraine.

Britain’s wider military commitment to Ukraine has also grown substantially since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

According to figures cited by Downing Street, the UK’s total support for Ukraine has reached about £25 billion, including approximately £16 billion in military assistance.

The latest dispute therefore comes against the backdrop of an increasingly integrated British-Ukrainian defence relationship, including cooperation in drones, electronic warfare, training and defence production.

Zelenskyy has previously described Ukrainian drone attacks against Russian military and energy infrastructure as part of Kyiv’s effort to take the war back to Russia after years of Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory.

During his meeting with Burnham, he said Ukraine had begun using long-range strikes to respond to Russian aggression.

For Moscow, however, the reported deployment of British-made drones against targets in Russia represents another indication of what it considers growing Western involvement in the conflict.

The Russian Embassy’s latest statement accused Britain of supporting what it described as Kyiv’s “terrorist machinery” and warned that increased British involvement would result in a higher “price” for London.

British officials have rejected the suggestion that Moscow’s warnings would force a change in policy.

The UK Ministry of Defence has said Britain stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Kyiv and that Russia should have no doubt about the government’s resolve to oppose Russian aggression against Ukraine and its allies.

Shapps’ intervention adds another dimension to the confrontation, with the former defence secretary arguing that Moscow should consider Europe’s collective military capacity before assuming that political differences within NATO would translate into strategic weakness.

His comments also come after his own recent involvement in Britain’s defence industry.

Shapps co-founded Cambridge Aerospace, a company that has since moved into military technology and secured a multimillion-pound UK Ministry of Defence contract to supply Skyhammer interceptor missiles.

His role at the company has itself attracted scrutiny. Government documents published in May 2026 show that Shapps stepped down from Cambridge Aerospace after questions were raised about the company’s shift from its originally stated civilian aerospace focus towards defence work. He resigned as chairman and from the wider company on April 30, 2026.

The Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards said Shapps had been insufficiently diligent in managing the propriety of his changing role and acknowledged his decision to step down following the government’s scrutiny of the company’s defence activities. Shapps maintained that he had not been involved in the Ministry of Defence contract and said he had complied with restrictions placed on his post-government appointment.

Despite the diplomatic escalation with Moscow, Burnham has made clear that Britain intends to maintain its military and political backing for Ukraine.

His position, coupled with Shapps’ warning, reflects a broader argument being advanced in European capitals: that Russia should not assume disagreements over strategy, defence spending or the future role of the United States within NATO mean Europe lacks the capacity or political will to respond to further aggression.

The dispute also comes at a critical stage of the war, as Russia and Ukraine continue to intensify long-range missile and drone attacks while diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain uncertain.

For now, London’s message to Moscow remains that British support for Kyiv will continue, while Shapps’ warning is that Putin should not mistake political disagreement among NATO allies for an absence of military strength.

“Even without the US, Europe has the firepower,” Shapps said, warning Putin to be “very careful not to miscalculate.”