Gordon Brown has warned that Ukraine is facing its “worst winter” since the conflict with Russia began, and called on Britain and other nations to press Donald Trump to do more to help the Eastern European nation.
The former prime minister said the US president should be pushed to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, saying these could help the country defend itself from Russian attacks.
Critical moment in the war
Describing the conflict – which began when Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022 – as being at a “critical moment”, Mr Brown recalled how Mr Trump had previously “promised he would give the design for interceptors to Ukraine”, but “hasn’t yet done so”.
Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Friday, the former Labour leader said: “We’re at a very critical moment in this Ukraine war.”
Worst winter warning
Adding that this “could be the worst winter” in the conflict, he said: “Putin has realised he can bomb into populated areas and the infrastructure, put out the electricity, put out the power in Ukraine, by using his missiles and his bombs that cannot be intercepted because America is not providing the interceptors that are necessary.”
Mr Trump is reported to have said last month it is a “hard thing to give away, that kind of technology”.
But Mr Brown insisted: “I think we have got to press America to provide the kind of interceptors that they alone seem to have that could make a difference to the protection of Ukraine.”
Careful not to escalate
However, he stressed the UK and Europe must be “very careful” not to find themselves at war with Russia.
Mr Brown said: “We have not declared war on Russia, Europe has not declared war on Russia.
“Russia has declared war on Ukraine and we mustn’t walk into a situation where we genuinely find ourselves with a declaration of war on both sides against each other, that would be very dangerous.
“It is getting very dangerous, we do not want a war in Europe, we don’t want it to go beyond Ukraine, but what we have got to do is help Ukraine.”
Mr Brown added that Andy Burnham had been “right to give what he can to Ukraine”.
The Prime Minister, who was in Ukraine this week, announced the Government will share blueprints for Kyiv to start producing its own models of Britain’s long-range Scalp missile.
Mr Brown however said this may “not make huge difference in the very short run” to the conflict.
