A former Tory MP who joined Ukraine’s military has called for the West to supply Ukraine with the weapons it needs to defeat Russia.
Jack Lopresti, 55, who has enlisted with the International Legion’s defence intelligence division, says any peacekeeping force must mount a “credible deterrent”.
It comes amid reports the Prime Minister will propose deploying up to 30,000 British and European troops in Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached.
An ex-Army reservist, Lopresti’s role with the legion has involved supporting projects with veterans, foreign diplomacy and weapons procurement.
Although not currently involved in frontline fighting, he could be asked to take part in combat and has had weapons training since arriving in Ukraine in January.
But speaking to The i Paper, he said: “I’ve been in the military before, and whatever job you’re doing at whatever level you’re a soldier first and foremost. So I get asked to go and help, I’ll go and help.
“The country is fighting for its right to exist, I’m a soldier, and I’ll do whatever I’m asked to do, and I’ll do it to the best of my abilities.”
The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Ukraine, including for the purpose of fighting, and has urged British nationals to leave the country immediately when safe to do so.
Lopresti, who lost his Filton and Bradley Stoke seat in July’s election, applied in November to join the legion, a military unit of international volunteers, after previously serving in the UK Army Reserve as a corporal.
He has vowed to stay as long as he is needed and met earlier this month with a cross-party UK parliamentary delegation, adding he feels “incredibly privileged” to have enlisted.
While commitment from Sir Keir Starmer to put British troops on the ground as part of a peacekeeping force was “perfectly sensible”, Loprestri believes first Ukraine must be given the weapons to win the war.
During a recent trip to the frontline in Kharkiv with former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith one Ukrainian artillery commander told them for every shell they fire, Russia launches seven in return.
“Talk of reassurance, peacekeeping, that’s another stage on at least. Ukraine has to be given the means to defend itself, to get as much territory back as it can,” Lopresti said.
“There was always a feeling, I think reasonably, the Biden administration were doing enough to keep the Ukrainians in the fight, but without giving them enough to give them that winning edge.
“The planes didn’t arrive until quite recently. Not enough tanks, not enough ammunition.
“The tragedy is that if we would have given them the support they needed at the beginning, or even a year, 18 months ago, this would have been done by now.”
In total, the UK has committed to £12.8bn in support for Ukraine, £7.8bn of which is military support, namely Challenger Two tanks and a new rapidly-developed bespoke air defence system called Gravehawk.
Next week, Starmer is due to travel to Washington to meet Donald Trump, where he is reportedly to propose deploying British troops to Ukraine as part of a 30,000-strong European “reassurance force”.
The Prime Minister is also under pressure to raise defence spending above 2.5 per cent and towards 3 per cent, which would cost around £15bn amid increased pressure from the US for European countries to boost funding.
While he was not aware of the full details of the proposal Lopresti cast doubt on whether that would be a large enough force to “genuinely keep the peace”.
“It doesn’t sound like much to me. I’m not a military expert, but it’s a big border and a big land, and I’m not sure that will be enough to deter anyone,” he said.
“If you’re going to put allied troops here for want of an expression, it needs to be of a sufficient quantity, with everything else they need at their disposal to be a credible deterrent.
“It’s about actually providing that strong deterrent so that [Russian president Vladimir] Putin doesn’t even think of having another go. It can’t be half measures.”
The former head of the British Army, General Lord Dannatt, is among those who fear the British Army is too small to supply the number of troops required.
Dannatt, who served as head of the Army from 2006 to 2009, said the military is “so run down” it could not lead a peacekeeping mission after years of cuts.
A former Nato chief also warned that a force of up to 100,000 troops may be needed as part of a long-term mission – the UK has 74,612 in its regular Armed Forces.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said reports of Starmer putting forward plans for a 30,000-strong peacekeeping force as an official UK Government proposal were “purely speculation”.
An MoD spokesperson said: “As the Prime Minister said after Monday’s Paris summit, we are still at the early stages of the process.
“But Britain will take a leading role in supporting a lasting peace in Ukraine that safeguards its sovereignty and will deter Putin from further aggression in the future.”
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