Ukraine should be sent Soviet weaponry by the West in order to beat Vladimir Putin's forces, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee said today.
Marking one year on from Russia’s brutal, bloody and barbaric invasion of Ukraine, Alicia Kearns MP spoke to GB News live from Irpin, a stone's throw away from where some of the most harrowing atrocities of this war have taken place.
The Chair of Parliament’s powerful committee revealed she had met with Ukraine’s Defence Secretary this morning, discussing the prospect of sending Typhoon jets after Zelenskyy’s impassioned plea for ‘wings for freedom’ in Westminster Hall earlier this month, and how best the UK can militarily support the ongoing war effort on the fringes of Europe.
Zelenskyy had previously put out a plea for the military equipment
Niall Carson
Alicia Kearns told GB News: "Defence Secretary has said we will not be sending our own Typhoons, having met with the Ukrainian Defence Secretary this morning, I recognise why that is the case; it would take six months to train Ukrainian fighter pilots how to use our aircraft and that would have to be after doing language training.
"Instead, we should be looking to Soviet jets and Soviet helicopters, which the Ukrainian pilots already know how to fly, and making sure that we put British and Western missiles all over them so that they can go out and be as powerful as possible."
Since the breakout of war 12 months ago, the UK under Johnson, Truss and Sunak has not wavered from its pledge to support the liberation effort, last year the Treasury and MoD approved £2.3billion in military support and have pledged to match that figure this year.
Challenger 2 tanks, Sea Lions and other British weaponry has been deployed, and the UK forces will train up to 20,000 Ukrainian fighters this year.
Challenger 2 tanks have already been deployed to Ukraine
Ben Birchall
But the war rages on with Putin’s stamina and drive for territorial expansion showing no signs of slowing.
Kearns went on to tell GB News that there is more that can be done: "Latvia has given a great number of helicopters. The Americans then backfilled those Blackhawks.
"We in the UK, for example, have Sea Kings that are sat there not being used that we could be sending. We also have Link helicopters we could be sending.
"Those aren’t Soviet, but they are far simpler to train people up on at speed and to put weapon systems onto.
"There are things we can do, but we do need to look at those countries who have Soviet capabilities already that the Ukrainians are comfortable using.
"The people of Ukraine resolute they will fight on; they will rid their country of Putin’s troops and we're here today to show them we stand behind them and also to say we will not allow Putin and Russia to determine the peace."