UK rejects Russian claim West is helping Ukraine escalate conflict

British defence minister Ben Wallace. Credit: Reuters Photo

Britain's defence minister, Ben Wallace, refuted claims made by his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in a call between the two men on Sunday that Western countries were facilitating a plan by Kyiv to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.

"The Defence Secretary refuted these claims and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation," Britain's Ministry of Defence said in a statement.