Liam Fox blames deterrence failure for Putin's invasions
Liam Fox says the Kremlin are the only warmongers in Ukraine and blames Western deterrence failures for Russia's invasions of Georgia and Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Liam Fox has rejected claims that supporters of Ukraine are warmongers, saying the only warmongers are in the Kremlin. He said Russia invaded Ukraine and described the conflict not as a war between two countries but as an invasion by Russia of a peaceful democratic western state.
He was asked about Tucker Carlson's remarks to Jacob Rees-Mogg, in which Carlson suggested Rees-Mogg was a warmonger for arguing that the West should support Ukraine to finish the war. Fox used the exchange to argue that Western countries have already paid a price for failing to deter Putin over recent decades.
He said the response to Russia's invasion of Georgia in 2008 and its annexation of Crimea in 2014 was inadequate. He warned that unless the free world stands solidly against such action, it is likely to face more of it. He framed the issue as a choice.
He also set out a wider threat assessment. He named:
- Russia as the biggest threat to European security;
- Iran as the biggest threat to the global economy;
- China as the biggest threat in the longer term.
He said countries do not have the luxury of choosing their enemies, because their enemies make that choice. The task for governments, he added, is to deter any potential aggression and to have enough capability to defend if deterrence fails.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Liam Fox named Russia as the biggest threat to European security, Iran as the biggest threat to the global economy, and China as the biggest longer-term threat. | |
| Liam Fox said that warmongering is confined to the Kremlin and that Russia invaded Ukraine. | |
| Liam Fox said the West failed to respond properly to Russia's 2008 invasion of Georgia and 2014 annexation of Crimea. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News gave Liam Fox a platform to respond to Tucker Carlson's warmonger accusation against Jacob Rees-Mogg. It focused on Fox's rejection of that framing, his criticism of past deterrence failures and his ranking of Russia, Iran and China as threats. The segment carried no opposing voice or Russian response.
- “Well, the only warmongers are in the Kremlin. They invaded Ukraine.”
- “We're already paying the price in Ukraine for the failure of deterrence in recent decades against Putin's Russia.”
- “I think the biggest threat to European security is Russia.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.