Defence Secretary Grant Shapps on Monday denied Western unity over Ukraine was fracturing after Republicans in the US Congress blocked new aid to Kyiv.
Speaking at a Conservative conference fringe event, Mr Shapps also predicted a “more sensible” course in Poland once upcoming elections there are out of the way, following agitation by nationalists against any more assistance to Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin should not draw the wrong conclusion about the course of events in Washington and Warsaw, he said: “He would be foolish if he misinterpreted those signs.”
The threat of government shutdowns were an “odd and unusual” feature about US politics, he said after Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a short-term budget shorn of $6 billion in Ukraine aid.
“I don’t think we should over-read into the sort of machinations, the negotiations that have to take place in order to get a single piece of budget through,” Mr Shapps said.
“President Biden’s actually been very clear that it doesn’t change his view about their continuing financing.”
The new US funding bill lasts only until mid-November, and Mr Biden on Sunday urged Congress to adopt another Ukraine aid package as soon as possible.
“We cannot under any circumstances allow America’s support for Ukraine to be interrupted,” the president said in remarks from the White House. Addressing the Republicans, he added: “Stop playing games, get this done.’’
Western support for Ukraine could also be undermined after a pro-Kremlin party emerged on top in an election in Slovakia, according to preliminary results.
The acid test will come in next year’s US presidential election, likely between Mr Biden and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.
Mr Shapps said the possibility of Mr Trump staging a comeback win would not necessarily result in the “worst-case scenario” of America cutting its support to Ukraine.
“One thing we do know about Trump is he has a big issue with China,” he said at the fringe event organised by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
Many experts would suggest “that you don’t want to accidentally send a message to China that force is OK to use” in Taiwan, by denouncing US aid to Ukraine as Mr Trump has done.
Mr Shapps stressed that whatever happened, the UK would continue to “take a leadership role” in supporting Ukraine after criticism from his predecessor Ben Wallace that Britain risks falling behind Germany.
The new defence secretary said that in the long term, UK defence spending should reach 3 per cent of GDP “because the world is becoming a more dangerous place”.
But noting high inflation and budget pressures now, he also stressed the need to gain more productivity out of big-ticket defence projects, arguing: “It’s not about how much money you have but how you spend it.”
