John Healey, UK Secretary of State for Defence, has said his son Alex decided to join the British Army after being inspired by the desire of Ukrainians to defend their homeland from Russian aggression.
Source: Healey in an interview with The Telegraph, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Senior Labour minister Healey shared that his son expressed a desire to serve in the military shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“So when Putin went in, in February 2022, the next day we were having lunch together and he said to me, ‘Dad, if I were Ukrainian, I’d join up today.’ And it was very soon after that he came to me and to his mum and said, ‘I want to join up. I want to be a reservist.’ That’s what he’s done,” says Healey.
He added that Alex, now an infantryman in the British Army Reserve, is motivated by a strong desire to defend his country.
“It’s a bit old-fashioned, but he’ll talk about King and Country. It’s a recognition that there is something fundamentally important about our country and what we stand for that he wants to help defend,” the UK defence secretary noted.
After his son joined the military, Healey adds, he now better understands families with soldiers who may lose their lives while serving in conflict zones.
Background:
- John Healey visited Ukraine in May, prior to the Labour Party’s victory in the UK election, and again less than two days after his appointment in July.
- Recently, media reports indicated that Kyiv believed relations with the UK had deteriorated since the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, came to power.
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