Your daily adult tube feed all in one place!
Ukraine needs 'decisive' weapons and must pose an 'unacceptable threat' to Russia to tip balance of war, says UK's ex army chief as he dismisses fears Putin will use tactical nukes
The former head of the British Army says that Ukraine needs to pose an 'unacceptable threat' to Russia, and that the West needs to provide 'decisive' weapons to help Ukraine achieve this.
General Sir Patrick Sanders, who only stepped down from his pivotal role in June, called upon Ukraine's allies to step up and provide better weaponry, as he dismissed fears that Vladimir Putin would use tactical nuclear weapons.
'We should at the moment be making sure Ukraine can win,' the 58-year-old told the Money Maze podcast.
'That is not simply about surviving on the battlefield — which is arguably all we have been doing at the moment. It is about posing unacceptable threats to Russia which causes Russia and Putin to reconsider.'
While the West has been heavily backing Ukraine, it has been slow to allow Volodymyr Zelensky's nation to unlock further capabilities, with many nations placing heavy restrictions on how their weapons can be used until recently.
General Sir Patrick Sanders (pictured), who only stepped down from his pivotal role in June, called upon Ukraine's allies to step up and provide better weaponry
Ukraine has been under siege since February 2022
Britain has provided long-range Storm Shadow missiles (pictured)
Ukrainian serviceman of 148th separate artillery brigade of the Air Assault Forces prepare his M777 howitzer before firing towards Russian positions at the frontline in Donetsk region
Zelensky this week accused Britain of 'slowing down' support for Ukraine as he demanded the removal of 'barriers' in his country's fight against Russia.
The Ukrainian President stepped up his campaign for the easing of restrictions on using the UK's powerful Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of about 155 miles.
Mr Zelensky has this month overseen a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk region, which he said is aimed at creating a buffer zone to prevent further cross-border attacks by Moscow.
Britain has given the green light for UK-donated weapons to be used on Russian soil as part of Ukraine's self-defence.
The only exception is Storm Shadow missiles, which remain off limits beyond Ukraine's borders, but Mr Zelensky said 'long-range capabilities' were 'vital'.
His team has claimed Britain loosening restrictions on the use of the weapons could 'turn the tide of the war'.
While the West has been heavily backing Ukraine, it has been slow to allow Volodymyr Zelensky's nation to unlock further capabilities
Ukrainian servicemen of 148th separate artillery brigade of the Air Assault Forces fire towards Russian positions by a M777 howitzer at the frontline in Donetsk region, Ukraine
Ukrainian serviceman Oleh of 148th separate artillery brigade of the Air Assault Forces prepares 155mm artillery shells before firing towards Russian positions at the frontline in Donetsk region
Much of the reticence among Ukraine's Western allies to loosen restrictions on weaponry comes from fears of escalating tensions with Russia, one of the few nuclear-capable countries.
But Sanders said: 'We have overestimated how Russia will respond to our support to Ukraine.
'In some respects we have been deterring ourselves, because we have allowed the Russians to gain what you might call "escalation dominance" where we've held back from the sort of decisive levels of support that we could have given Ukraine early on, for fear of what the Russians will do.
'Yet rather like a boiling frog, each time a threshold has reached where the Russians have said they will respond, they haven't.'
Sanders said it was imperative that Ukraine gets the upper hand in the brutal conflict.
'It’s very difficult to see where you can strike a deal. Because any kind of deal is likely only to be a temporary pause. Or you deliver Putin what he wants, which is essentially surrender.
'The consequences of surrendering are not just terrible for Ukraine, they will fundamentally undermine western security, the security of the Euro-Atlantic area, and of course it will give succour and encourage autocrats and dictators around the world who don’t hold to our values system.'