RUSSIAN tyrant Vladimir Putin sees Britain as his “number one enemy” the defence secretary John Healey has warned .
The UK steadfast support for Ukraine has infuriated the Kremlin strongman.
Delivering the Lord Mayor of London’s Defence Lecture at Mansion House last night, he said Ukraine’s President Zelensky calls the UK “his closest ally”.
He added: “This is why Putin ranks Britain as his number one enemy.”
His comments are in stark contrast to Donald Trump’s repeated flip-flopping over Ukraine and Russia.
Trump reportedly warned President Zelensky to cave into Putin’s demands or be “crushed” by Russia.
The US president’s u-turn followed claims he might give Ukraine Tomahawk missiles if Putin refused to settle the war.
The UK is set to give Kyiv a record £4.5bn in military aid this year.
Healey also hailed big-hearted Brits for taking in 167,000 Ukrainian refugees.
He said: “The British public have shown, too, that our nation remains united for Ukraine.”
He said Britain would start manufacturing a new type of weapon to down Russian Shahed drones “within weeks”.
The interceptor drone, known as Octopus, is a joint project using Ukrainian technology and UK factories.
