Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, appeared today (Tuesday) on BBC Radio Four’s World at One programme, having just returned from Ukraine.
He told Sarah Montague from World at One that the manpower is strong in Ukraine, but that the Ukrainians lack the right vehicles and weaponry.
Asked whether enough weaponry is being moved from the West to the East, Bob said that all officials he spoke to were incredibly grateful to the British people and he stated Prime Minister Boris Johnson is “fantastically popular in Ukraine right now”.
Ukrainians need more weaponry
Bob said all the military kit the UK sends will go to the East to “just about keep the Ukrainians in the game”.
He said it wouldn’t allow them to open up a second front to the South, nor to outmatch the Russians.
He added that if the Ukrainians had access to weaponry that the UK has, it would allow them over-match the Russians and force them to change tactics, making it more difficult for them to bomb the cities in East and South.
Attritional war
Bob said it’s undoubtedly an accurate description to say it’s going to be an attritional war.
In his view the way to speed that is in three areas:
- Identify more anti aircraft kit around the world
- More infantry fighting vehicles
- Artillery – either slightly longer range, or to outmatch the Russians
Listen again
You can listen again to the programme via BBC Sounds. He first appears at 21 minutes in, and again at 26:42 following a poor broadband connection.
