Lord Stirrup
Main Page: Lord Stirrup (Crossbench - Life peer)(1 day, 4 hours ago)
Lords ChamberWe have many reasons to believe that, not least because that is what Putin himself has said. We also look at the behaviour of Russia in Georgia, Romania and Poland. There is plenty of evidence to support what my noble friend asserts.
My Lords, Ukraine cannot win a body-on-body attritional conflict with Russia. Putin knows this. The only way he is going to come to the negotiating table is if Ukraine can inflict sufficient damage on Russia elsewhere. The only way it is going to be able to do that is with the kinds of weapon systems it currently does not have, and the only way it is going to get those is through the agreement of the United States. What assessment have His Majesty’s Government made of the prospect of the United States agreeing to this any time soon? If it does not, the next several months look pretty dire for Ukraine.
I am sure the noble and gallant Lord will know that the United States is shifting its position and is allowing Ukraine to purchase NATO weapons. We continue to talk to our friends and allies, especially in the United States, to make sure that Ukraine, as he says, has what it needs in order to defend itself.