Ukraine will 'increase demands' for weapons says Martin
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Military expert Dr Mike Martin has said that Britain will need to focus on sending “armoured vehicles” and “lots and lots of ammunition” to bolster Ukraine in this next stage of the conflict. As Ukraine continues to reclaim territory in the eastern regions at a rapid rate, Dr Mike said the UK, and indeed the West, must alter the military equipment they supply to the Ukrainian forces to better cater to their offensive needs. The military expert was talking to Times Radio in light of the announcement that Liz Truss is preparing to pledge billions more to Ukraine during her visit to New York, USA, for the United Nations General Assembly, in what is her first official trip abroad as the Prime Minister.
Dr Mike said: “War is extraordinarily expensive and, actually, often the weapons are not necessarily the most expensive thing.
“To run an army, you need huge amounts of ammunition, which is very expensive. And as, you know, Ukraine is starting to go on the offensive now, those demands are going to increase.
“You need a lot more ammunition to have an offensive than to defend, for instance.
“And I think what we probably need to see is some shifts [in what is supplied to Ukraine]. What we have seen over the last week was quite a rapid assault by Ukrainian forces.
“That is the kind of style of warfare that they are practising against the Russians. And what you need particularly for that is armoured vehicles, or at least mechanised fast vehicles.
“That is quite different to what the West has been predominantly supplying, which have been artillery and defensive weapons.
“So, as Ukraine moves to liberate more areas to push the Russians out of more occupied territory, they will need an increase in armoured vehicles and lots and lots of ammunition.”
British Prime Minister Liz Truss will pledge at a UN summit to meet or exceed the 2.3 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) of military aid spent on Ukraine in 2022 in the next year, doubling down on her support for Kyiv after Russia’s invasion.
Ms Truss will call on other leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York to help end Russia’s energy stranglehold on Europe, saying it has allowed too many lives to be “manipulated”.
In a statement before her speech to the summit, she said: “My message to the people of Ukraine is this: the UK will continue to be right behind you every step of the way. Your security is our security.
“Too many lives in Ukraine, in Europe and around the world, are being manipulated by a dependence on Russian energy. We need to work together to end this once and for all.”
Britain said it was the second-largest military donor to Ukraine, committing 2.3 billion pounds in 2022, and that support next year would be determined by the Ukrainian army’s needs, although it is expected to include equipment such as rocket artillery systems.
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In the latest developments in the conflict zone, Ukraine said its troops have marched farther east into territory recently abandoned by Russia, paving the way for a potential assault on Moscow’s occupation forces in the Donbas region as Kyiv seeks more Western arms.
“The occupiers are clearly in a panic,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a televised address late on Monday. “The speed at which our troops are moving. The speed in restoring normal life.”
The Ukrainian leader also hinted he would use a video address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday to call on countries to accelerate weapons and aid deliveries. He said: “We are doing everything to ensure Ukraine’s needs are met at all levels – defence, financial, economic, diplomatic.”
Ukraine’s armed forces have regained complete control of the village of Bilohorivka, and are preparing to retake all of Luhansk province from Russian occupiers, provincial Governor Serhiy Gaidai said. The village is only 10 km (6 miles) west of Lysychansk city, which fell to the Russians after weeks of grinding battles in July.
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