- Former British Army chief urges West to deliver ‘decisive weapons’
- General Sir Patrick Sanders said Ukraine must represent an “unacceptable threat”
- Former army chief says Putin unlikely to use tactical nuclear weapons
Former British Army chief says Ukraine must pose an “unacceptable threat” to Russia and the West must provide “decisive” weapons to help Ukraine achieve this.
General Sir Patrick Sanders, who stepped down from his key role in June, called on Ukraine’s allies to step up action and provide better weaponry, while dismissing fears that Vladimir Putin would use tactical nuclear weapons.
“At this point we should make sure that Ukraine can win,” the 58-year-old told the Money Maze podcast.
“It’s not just about surviving on the battlefield, which is certainly all we’ve been doing at the moment. It’s about posing unacceptable threats to Russia that will make Russia and Putin reconsider their decisions.”
While the West has staunchly backed Ukraine, it has been slow to allow Volodymyr Zelensky’s nation to unlock more capabilities; until recently, many nations imposed tight restrictions on how their weapons can be used.
General Sir Patrick Sanders (pictured), who stepped down from his key role in June, called on Ukraine’s allies to step up their efforts and provide better weaponry.
Ukraine has been under siege since February 2022
Britain has provided long-range Storm Shadow missiles (pictured)
A Ukrainian serviceman from the 148th separate artillery brigade of the Air Assault Forces prepares his M777 howitzer before firing towards Russian positions on the front line in the Donetsk region
Zelensky this week accused Britain of “slowing down” support for Ukraine and demanded the removal of “barriers” in his country’s fight against Russia.
Ukraine’s president has stepped up his campaign to ease restrictions on the use of Britain’s powerful Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of about 155 miles.
This month, Zelensky oversaw a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, which he says is aimed at creating a buffer zone to prevent further cross-border attacks by Moscow.
Britain has given the green light for weapons donated by the UK 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 Zelensky said “long-range capabilities” were “vital.”
His team has said that if Britain were to relax restrictions on the use of these weapons, it could “turn the tide of the war”.
While the West has been strongly supportive of Ukraine, it has been slow to allow Volodymyr Zelensky’s nation to unlock more capabilities.
Ukrainian servicemen from the 148th separate artillery brigade of the Air Assault Forces fire at Russian positions with an M777 howitzer on the front line in Donetsk region, Ukraine
Ukrainian serviceman Oleh of the 148th separate artillery brigade of the Air Assault Forces prepares 155mm artillery shells before firing towards Russian positions on the front line in the Donetsk region.
Much of the reluctance of Ukraine’s Western allies to relax arms restrictions is due to fear of escalating tensions with Russia, one of the few countries with nuclear capabilities.
But Sanders said: “We have overestimated how Russia will respond to our support for Ukraine.”
‘In some respects we’ve been deterring ourselves, because we’ve allowed the Russians to gain what you might call ‘escalation dominance,’ where we’ve held back from providing the decisive levels of support that we could have given Ukraine from the beginning, for fear of what the Russians would do.
‘However, like a boiled frog, every time the Russians have reached a threshold where they have said they will respond, they have not done so.’
Sanders said it was imperative that Ukraine gain the upper hand in the brutal conflict.
“It’s very difficult to see where a deal can be reached, because any kind of deal will probably only be a temporary pause. Or you give Putin what he wants, which is essentially surrender.
‘The consequences of surrender are not only dire for Ukraine, but will fundamentally undermine Western security, the security of the Euro-Atlantic area and, of course, provide support and encouragement to autocrats and dictators around the world who do not adhere to our value system.’