Former UK Defence Secretary urges West to promptly provide Ukraine with everything it needs to win
Ben Wallace, former UK Defence Secretary, believes that Ukraine is on the road to victory and will be victorious if Western allies deliver the weapons it needs in time.
Source: Wallace’s column in The Telegraph, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Wallace recalled that before the outbreak of full-scale war, analysts and governments in the West underestimated Ukraine's readiness and potential to defend itself and stated that now they question Ukraine's chances of success after a challenging and protracted start to the counteroffensive. The former minister drew parallels between the morale of the population of the United Kingdom at the beginning of World War II and how the Ukrainians met the full-scale war and managed to surprise the world.
"Since the summer, Ukraine has again been learning on the job. Its forces are adapting tactics, absorbing lessons, and making the best of the equipment we have all gifted them. They take UK equipment and achieve success rates far beyond expectations," Ben Wallace stated.
The former minister stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are slowly but surely making their way through the Russian defence lines.
"Sometimes yard by yard, sometimes village by village, Ukraine has the momentum and is pressing forward. We have a chance to help finish this. The Russian army is cracking. Ukraine has learnt new tactics to overcome horrendous minefields, and the Storm Shadow strikes are devastating Russian HQs. We are witnessing the beginnings of the battle for Crimea. We need to give Ukraine the support it requires to see this war to the end," Wallace emphasised.
Former UK defence secretary expressed confidence that the war against Russia is winnable and that the Kremlin is already on the losing end.
"Just as the human emotion drives Ukraine to success, it is also the inescapable flaw in Putin and his criminal regime. Romance, ego and revenge drove Putin to cross into Ukraine and it will be his undoing," Wallace emphasised, adding that the Russian army has lost over 2,500 tanks, 6,500 pieces of other armoured vehicles and about 300,000 personnel wounded or killed, and that the Russian command is constantly shifting.
"Putin is desperately grasping at the final two things that can save him – time and the splitting of the international community. Britain can do something about both. We must help Ukraine maintain its momentum – and that will require more munitions, ATACMSs and Storm Shadows. And the best way to keep the international community together is the demonstration of success," Wallace noted.
Wallace advises Ukraine to reconsider the scale of mobilisation, noting that the average age of Ukrainian soldiers at the front is about 40, while Russia is covertly conducting large-scale mobilisation across the country and knows that a pause in hostilities will allow it to create a new army.
"Let us not pause for one day. Let us see this through. The world is watching to see if the West has the resolve to stand up for our values and the rules-based system. What we do now for Ukraine will set the direction for all of our security for years to come," Wallace stressed.
Background:
- Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also been harshly critical of the sluggish arms deliveries to Ukraine.
- Wallace served as UK Defence Secretary throughout Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine and resigned from the post on 31 August on his own accord; he plans to retire from politics altogether. Grant Shapps has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Defence.
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