Boris Johnson told the cabinet yesterday he wants to provide Ukraine with “more lethal” military aid as he warned that Vladimir Putin would try to “twist the knife”.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, chief of defence staff, gave a briefing to ministers in which he said that the conflict has evolved into “more traditional warfare” as Ukraine has moved from attempting to repel the Russian forces to holding ground and retaking territory.
He said the UK was moving to a “new phase” in its support for Ukraine and the government was looking at what military equipment it can provide. “The Ukrainian army is not only holding big cities, it is forcing the Russians to retreat. Our support needs to change with that,” a cabinet source said.
Johnson did not specify what weapons the UK could provide, but a defence source said Ukraine needs “longer-range deep fires” to try to dislodge Russian troops in the east of the country. This includes heavy artillery.
They said such equipment was complex and operators needed to be trained. The government is also concerned about escalating the conflict.
Johnson is said to have been impressed by the use of Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 armed drones by Ukrainian forces against Russian tanks.
He told ministers he does not believe Ukraine and Russia are close to a settlement. He said there was a danger Putin would attempt to “twist the knife in the wound” and become “less predictable and more vindictive”.
Unlike the thousands of shoulder-launched rocket launchers the UK has provided, larger systems would require Ukrainian soldiers to withdraw from the front line to train in neighbouring countries.
One option could be the army’s AS-90 Vickers artillery, but a source pointed out they are old systems. The AS-90 was due to be replaced in 2026 but this has been pushed back due to the integrated review, analysts said.
Justin Crump, a military analyst, said they had a range of 15 [miles] “beyond the front lines”.
He said the UK had a “significant weakness” when it came to its long-range precision capability. Western powers are due to hold a donor conference this week to discuss what weapons to provide that could make a difference in a more attritional warfare.
Johnson is said to be keen for the US to provide Ukraine with anti-ship missiles and more advanced air defence systems.
At the cabinet meeting Thérèse Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, suggested the West must intervene if Russia uses chemical weapons. She said the failure to intervene in Syria in 2013 after the Assad regime used such weapons was “one of the greatest days of shame in my life”. She said “we can’t allow this to happen again”.
Sir Simon Gass, chairman of the joint intelligence committee, said the Russian campaign continued to be beset by poor morale as members of the regime sought to apportion blame for its failures.
The prime minister’s spokesman said the government was looking at “all possible options” to ensure Ukraine had the equipment it needed while avoiding any “escalatory effects”.
He did not rule out reports that the UK, along with Turkey and the US, could act as guarantors of Ukrainian security if it agreed to neutrality as part of a peace settlement.
“As far as I am aware there has been no formal request for that,” he said.
“We would listen very carefully for any request of UK involvement in a long-term peaceful solution but there has been nothing formal on that front.”
www.politico.com
www.thetimes.co.uk
