Admiral Sir Tony Radakin pledges continued support to President Zelensky during meeting also attended by Grant Shapps
By Danielle Sheridan, DEFENCE EDITOR
28 September 2023 • 5:18pm
Putin has lost control of the war, the head of the British Armed Forces has said.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin visited Kyiv with Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to the war-torn nation.
Sir Tony said they had discussed new military aid with President Volodymyr Zelensky during the visit on Wednesday.
“The recent strikes on the Black Sea Fleet are another example of how Ukraine retains the initiative. Putin has lost control of the war he started, and Russia is diminished as a consequence,” he said.
Last week, a British-designed Storm Shadow missile blew a hole through the roof of Russia’s naval headquarters in the Crimean city of Sevastopol.
The audacious attack on Russia’s Black Sea fleet nerve centre was described by Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman as a “blow to Putin’s dictatorship”.
Ukraine has repeatedly asked for more Western arms, including longer-range weapons, to regain occupied territory as the front lines have stayed largely frozen.
Boris Johnson last week urged Rishi Sunak to send more Storm Shadow missiles.
Mr Shapps said after the meeting: “I’ve been back to Kyiv this week to ask President Zelensky what he needs to win.”
Sebastien Lecornum the French defence minister, was also expected to hold talks with Mr Zelensky and his new defence minister Rustem Umerov.
“We know that this war is going to last. We must ensure that tomorrow we continue to be reliable in our aid to Ukraine,” Mr Lecornu said, after laying flowers at a memorial to Ukraine’s fallen soldiers.
France has supplied Ukraine with Scalp missiles, its version of Storm Shadows.
The UK Ministry of Defence said the Kyiv visit provided an opportunity to hold further discussions on military support, after meetings in Ramstein, Germany of 50 nations at last week’s Ukraine defence contact group.
Mr Shapps added: “It was an honour to meet President Zelensky in Kyiv to assure him that the UK will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, as we have done since Putin illegally invaded Crimea nearly 10 years ago.”
He reiterated how the UK had trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, delivered hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, and provided millions of pounds of economic and humanitarian aid “to help Ukraine’s citizens reclaim and rebuild what has been taken from them by Putin’s barbaric invasion”.
“Having heard the experiences of so many Ukrainians affected by this war, including a family I hosted in my home for a year, I am committed to maintaining the UK’s military support, particularly as the freezing winter weather approaches,” he said.
Mr Shapps previously visited Ukraine in August in his former role as energy secretary.
On that occasion, he discussed support for Ukraine’s recovery from the war, and visited a children’s nursery that had been attended by one of the Ukrainian children he hosted in his home.
Like Mr Shapps, Mr Umerov is a recent appointee to his role.
Oleksii Reznikov, the former defence minister, was sacked amid an anti-corruption drive by Mr Zelensky, after concerns about procurement processes with Ukrainian defence.
On Twitter, Mr Zelensky said: “I received UK Defence Secretary (Grant Shapps) in Kyiv.
“I am profoundly grateful to the UK for all the financial, humanitarian and military support, including crucial long-range capabilities.
“We discussed further defence co-operation and steps to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence.”
Comment from :
five dialogues
There is no peace between lions and men and this Earth must be rid of a dangerous predator that has no use outside a zoo or a curiosity.
And if the boot is taken off the neck now, we leave a 130 million people in a prison that is the Russian world view. And that cannot be allowed.
The war was lost as soon as the Ukrainians showed the courage to fight, to hold their ground and then fight back winning against all received wisdom historic victories; but only as a precursor of the victories to come. And as the relentless logic of the situation dictates.
War like poker is a game that is rigged and as a mathematical certainty those with the most assets will always walk off with the pot.
Luck has nothing to do with winning, it is a certainty.
As soon as the world marshalled in defence of Ukraine, driven by the horrors of the Russians brutality and the sympathy of the peoples of the world, their fate was decided that day.
You only have to look at the faces of the women of the world as they watch, describe and relate to what is unfolding to know what the outcome will be. Nancy Pelosi was in tears talking about the courage of Ukraine and the fears of the women behind the front.
We have no fear of the Russians, they are dead men walking already, what we fear is the vengeance only a woman will want. Will expect. Will demand.
How many of them survive is in their own hands that is the only mercy we can offer. No more.
“War like poker is a game that is rigged and as a mathematical certainty those with the most assets will always walk off with the pot.”
That’s simply not true. There are many examples throughout history when the underdog won, and often enough, decisively.
Phil Dawes:
Putler has been outthought and outfought by the people of Ukraine. Now he is trying to hang with his grubby hands on to some sort of victory. Once the land bridge is split and the Kerch bridge is dropped, it will only be a matter of time before his minders step back and he is torn limb from limb.
Richard Peters
Orcio orcio wherefore art thou orcio?
As evidenced by the independent war crimes commissions, the Russian military are, as ordered by their bosses and cheered on by Russian TV, they are raping, torturing, killing babies, stealing children, bombing hospitals, bombing schools, attempting to starve millions and attempting to freeze millions.
If Russia lost the war anywhere – and there is a lot of competition for a top 10 of Russian humiliations – it was when Ukraine and the world saw Bucha. That is Russia and that is Russians. And the orcs gave them medals.
From that point on, the free world alliance knew this was more than a war, and Ukraine knew for sure what it long suspected. This was genocide.
The orcs lost control there and then, as they gave Ukraine and its supporters no choice but to press on as long as it takes.
They fight for us all, and they do it well.
Well said Mr Peters.
We must not forget : the fiend putler actually rewarded dirty, filthy savages for rape and torture in Bucha.
“This war is not going to last. We must ensure it. And ensure that tomorrow we continue to be reliable in our aid to Ukraine,” Mr Lecornu said, after laying flowers at a memorial to Ukraine’s fallen soldiers.”
Profoundly unhelpful. If he had said instead :
“We know that this war is going to last. We must ensure that tomorrow we continue to be reliable in our aid to Ukraine,” Mr Lecornu said, after laying flowers at a memorial to Ukraine’s fallen soldiers.
“We know that this war is going to last. We must ensure that tomorrow we continue to be reliable in our aid to Ukraine,” Mr Lecornu said, after laying flowers at a memorial to Ukraine’s fallen soldiers.”
Profoundly unhelpful. Why couldn’t he have said:
“We must ensure that this war will not last and that we continue to be reliable in our aid to Ukraine.”
I don’t get it either. This sort of attitude is getting so tiring. They still have rubber where a spine should be.
As the runt is taking a firmer grip of the mafia army, he’s assuring a quicker demise for it, being the militarily naive moron that he is. His hero Adolf Hitler did the same thing. His bad decisions and desperate handling of German forces were worth as much as many additional divisions for us on the battlefield.