On Remembrance Sunday, the chief of the British Armed Forces has suggested Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights that European countries are not as safe as they once were.
Earlier today, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said: “This conflict reminds us that peace is never guaranteed. It [the UK] must be defended, and sometimes at great cost.”
He said defending the country was “not the responsibility of the military alone” but rather a “national endeavour” requiring investment, innovation, and support for the armed forces.
On Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Sir Richard sounded more optimistic about the state of the war in Ukraine.
“Mr Putin right now is losing hundreds of thousands of soldiers,” he said.
“His nation is spending somewhere around 40% of its national income on defence.
“Putin strategically is seeing his war aims eroded. We’ve got a stronger NATO, a rearming, bigger NATO. “
He suggested we should be confident that NATO is “stronger and more capable than Russia” and that Russia is “losing from a strategic perspective, even if it’s making tactical gains on the ground in Ukraine”.
He credited the work the UK has done “as a nation and in our armed forces” to support Ukraine and help keep pressure on the Russians.