Ex-NATO commander General Sir Richard Shirreff discussed the ongoing invasion of Ukraine with journalist Shelagh Fogarty. Sir Shirreff explained why the UK had to play catch up as the war had been going on in Ukraine since 2014, not February of this year. The ex-NATO commander discussed the consequences of not ensuring that Russian President Vladimir Putin is defeated. Sir Shirreff claimed there will be no peace in Europe while Putin still lives in the Kremlin.
Sir Richard Shirreff told LBC Radio: “Right I would defer with only one thing, I think it’s 1938, I don’t think we’ve got as much time as that.
“And the other point I would say is that we may not be at war with Russia but as far as Russia is concerned Russia is at war with us.
“And anyone who knows the Kremlin knows that they have fought like that since 2014.
“This war did not begin on the 24th of February, it began in 2014 and we now have to catch up… Play catch up in a way to really insure that we are ready.
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Ex-NATO commander General added: “And this will have profound consequences in terms of our society, our economies, our defence spending, our industrial capacity.
“And our willingness to do what needs to be done to ensure that ultimately Putin and Putinism is defeated, because there will be no peace in Europe while he lives in the Kremlin.”
Other military experts have called the war in Ukraine a proxy war with the West.
Putin has been continuing to threaten Western countries with an attack for a number of years.
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Ex defence secretary Sir Roger Howarth uttered a similar sentiment and warned the West to take action now before it’s too late with Russia.
Sir Howarth told Talk TV: “And then in 2014 when they ceased Crimea, the writing was on the wall, we ignored it.
“We’ve been complacent, we’ve been naive we’ve failed to think of the unthinkable.
“The unthinkable has happened, people need to start thinking the unthinkable now! And it is imperative that we continue to provide whatever military equipment we can.
“But I’m afraid to say, Julia, that at the end of the day Russia has got to be confronted and each day that we delay in making that decision is making it a greater challenge for us all.”
In the meantime, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson along with other political leaders from Europe has been donating money and weapons to Ukraine.
NATO-aligned countries have been training Ukrainian troops in defence and weaponry.
On Mr Johnson’s last visit to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, he vowed to train 10,000 Ukrainian troops every 120 days.
Ukraine has been praising the West for their ongoing support, as it is helping them to push back on the ongoing Russian onslaught.
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