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UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has urged American politicians to support Ukraine “because it’s in the interests of the United States of America”.

Mr Shapps has today been visiting British and Ukrainian soldiers at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, where he was asked about the ongoing impasse in the United States Congress over President Joe Biden’s planned $60bn (£47.5bn) military aid package for Kyiv.

“My message to those on Capitol Hill is really simple – I was in the White House and Capitol Hill last month,” he said.

“It is: do this because it’s in the interests of the United States of America.

“Do it because it’s not just coming to Europe’s rescue again, but because we have to show not just Putin but other despots, despotic leaders elsewhere, that you can’t get away with just timing us out – waiting until we get bored and then we say we’re going to stop you and we don’t.

“When we say there’s a red line, we mean it. It doesn’t matter who else you are, which part of the world you’re interested in, you can see that we stick with the programme.

“That is why I think it is so important that Congress stays with us.

“I think my understanding of Ukraine is like the rest of the British population, which is that we instinctively know and appreciate that if we allow a tyrant to invade their neighbour, then all gloves are off.

“It means you just give up on the world order and that would have a significant impact for every British family.

“We know we need to support Ukraine. Britain has stepped up with our biggest package ever – £2.5bn this year, which is bigger than the £2.3bn from the previous two years.

“We are very, very keen to see the rest of the world contributing as well.

“The Americans obviously a very, very big part of that.”