Former British Prime Minister says UK should have done more to counter Putin

Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss said the United Kingdom should have "done more earlier" to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric before he invaded Ukraine.

She also noted that she believed that the west was reliant on Russia for oil and other resources for too long.  

Truss spoke in a House of Commons debate Monday about Ukraine, which has been her first contribution in the chamber as a backbencher since 2012, according to Politico. 

The former prime minister praised the Ukrainian soldiers for their bravery in taking on Russia. 

“I remember being on a video conference that evening with the defense secretary and our counterparts, who weren’t in Poland, who weren’t in the United States,” she recalled at the debate. "They were in Kyiv and they were defending their country."

Truss also said that Ukraine should have been allowed to join NATO, and the West needs to "hold ourselves to higher standards."

“We were complacent about freedom and democracy after the Cold War,” she said. “We were told it was the end of history and that freedom and democracy were guaranteed and that we could carry on living our lives not worrying about what else could happen.”

Truss ended her remarks by encouraging the U.K. to help Ukraine win the war in whatever way possible.