The UK and its NATO allies should not an "Amazon" supply service for weapons to Ukraine, Britain's defence secretary has mentioned.

Ben Wallace added that Kyiv is perhaps clever to let its supporters "see gratitude".

In a blunt intervention, the minister mentioned his "counsel" to the Ukrainians was to remember the fact that they should persuade some doubting politicians in Washington and different capitals that the tens of billions of kilos they're spending on army help to their nation for its warfare with Russia is worth it.

He was responding to a query from Sky News about whether or not the failure of allies to offer President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a timeframe for NATO membership at a significant summit this week would undermine the morale of his troops on the frontline.

The defence secretary mentioned he didn't imagine this was the case, earlier than describing how Ukraine is all the time asking for extra even after receiving the most recent batch of arms.

"There is a slight word of caution here, which is that whether we like it or not people want to see gratitude," Mr Wallace mentioned in a briefing to journalists on the sidelines of the two-day summit within the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.

"My counsel to the Ukrainians is typically you are persuading international locations to surrender their very own shares [of weapons] and sure the warfare is a noble warfare and sure we see it as you doing a warfare for - not simply your self - however our freedoms.

"But sometimes you've got to persuade lawmakers on the Hill in America, you've got to persuade doubting politicians in other countries that you know, that it's worth it and it's worthwhile and that they're getting something for it.

"And whether or not you want that or not, that's simply the truth of it."

Mr Wallace mentioned you typically hear "grumbles" from American lawmakers - not the administration - about help to Ukraine that "we've given $83 billion worth or whatever [and] you know, we're not Amazon."

The defence secretary mentioned he too had informed the Ukrainians in June final yr that the UK was not the web supply service when it got here to supplying arms.

"I said to the Ukrainians last year, when I drove 11 hours to [Kyiv to] be given a list - I said, I am not Amazon."

He additionally mentioned he warned them that they wanted to offer higher coaching for his or her troops to cease them from struggling such a excessive weekly charge of casualties as that may danger them shedding political help.

He as an alternative provided to offer a coaching programme within the UK.