Call for Enhanced Military Support for Ukraine
A former Conservative MP who has joined the ranks of Ukraine’s military forces is advocating for increased Western support to equip Ukraine with the necessary weaponry to secure a decisive victory over Russia. Jack Lopresti, aged 55, has enlisted with the International Legion’s defense and intelligence division, underscoring the need for any proposed peacekeeping force to establish a “credible deterrent.” This statement comes in light of reports suggesting that the Prime Minister might propose the deployment of up to 30,000 British and European troops in Ukraine should a ceasefire be achieved.
Having previously served as an Army reservist, Lopresti’s current role involves not only combat readiness but also supporting various projects aimed at assisting veterans, engaging in foreign diplomacy, and facilitating weapons procurement. Although he is not actively engaged in frontline combat at this time, he has undergone weapons training since arriving in Ukraine in January and remains prepared to assist wherever needed.
In an interview with The i Paper, Lopresti stated, “I’ve been in the military before, and whatever job you’re doing at whatever level you’re a soldier first and foremost. So if I get asked to go and help, I’ll go and help.” He continued, “The country is fighting for its right to exist; I’m a soldier, and I’ll do whatever I’m asked to do, and I’ll do it to the best of my abilities.”
The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Ukraine, including for combat purposes, urging British nationals to leave the country as soon as it is safe to do so. Lopresti, who lost his seat as the MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke in the recent election, expressed his deep sense of privilege in joining the fight, referring to it as “a battle for Europe.”
Having applied to join the International Legion in November, Lopresti, who previously served as a corporal in the UK Army Reserve, has committed to staying as long as he is needed. He recently met with a cross-party UK parliamentary delegation and expressed feeling “incredibly privileged” to enlist.
While he acknowledged Sir Keir Starmer’s commitment to deploying British troops as part of a peacekeeping force as “perfectly sensible,” Lopresti believes that before any such force is established, Ukraine must first receive the necessary military equipment to achieve victory in the ongoing conflict.
During a recent visit to the frontline in Kharkiv alongside former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, they were informed by a Ukrainian artillery commander that for every shell fired by Ukrainian forces, Russia responds with seven. Lopresti emphasized, “Talk of reassurance and peacekeeping is another stage in the process. Ukraine has to be given the means to defend itself and reclaim as much territory as possible.”
He added, “There was always a feeling, I think reasonably, that the Biden administration was doing enough to keep the Ukrainians in the fight but without providing them the tools to gain a winning edge. The planes didn’t arrive until quite recently. There were not enough tanks or ammunition.” He lamented, “The tragedy is that if we had given them the support they needed at the beginning, or even a year or 18 months ago, this conflict could have been resolved by now.”
- The UK has committed a total of £12.8 billion in support for Ukraine, with £7.8 billion designated for military assistance, including Challenger Two tanks and a newly developed air defense system called Gravehawk.
- Next week, Starmer is set to travel to Washington to meet Donald Trump, where he is expected to propose the deployment of British troops to Ukraine as part of a larger 30,000-strong European “reassurance force.”
- Lopresti raised concerns regarding whether such a force would be sufficient to effectively maintain peace, stating, “It doesn’t sound like much to me… I’m not sure that will be enough to deter anyone.”
He asserted, “If you’re going to put allied troops here, it needs to be of a sufficient quantity, with everything else they need at their disposal to provide a credible deterrent.” His ultimate goal is to establish a strong deterrent that would prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from contemplating further aggression, stressing that “it can’t be half measures.”
Concerns have been raised by General Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, regarding the adequacy of the British military to supply the necessary number of troops for such a mission. He noted, “The military is so run down that it could not lead a peacekeeping mission after years of cuts.”
Additionally, a former NATO chief indicated that a force of up to 100,000 troops might be necessary for a long-term mission, while the UK currently maintains 74,612 personnel in its regular Armed Forces.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated that reports of Starmer proposing a 30,000-strong peacekeeping force as an official UK Government proposal are “purely speculation.” An MoD spokesperson remarked, “As the Prime Minister said after Monday’s Paris summit, we are still at the early stages of the process. But Britain will take a leading role in supporting a lasting peace in Ukraine that safeguards its sovereignty and deters Putin from further aggression in the future.”
