Latest news with #InternationalLegionofUkraine
The Independent
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Ex-Tory MP who joined the Ukrainian Army vows troops will continue fighting on their own ‘if necessary'
An ex-Tory MP who joined the Ukrainian Army has vowed the country won't bow to Donald Trump's demands, warning that the army will continue to fight alone if necessary. Sitting down with The Independent, Jack Lopresti – who joined the International Legion of Ukraine after losing his seat in the 2024 general election - said morale in the army is as high as ever, which he described as 'astonishing and inspirational'. 'People need to be aware here that actually, Ukraine isn't losing. The lines have remained fairly static for two years and, given the scale and the mass of what the Russians were throwing at them, they're doing an astonishing job in their ability to defend their country. 'I tell you, they are not going to accept anything from Trump which is going to diminish their country and stop them being a free nation. They'll continue to fight on their own if they have to.' It comes just two days after the US president accused Volodymyr Zelensky of making it 'difficult to settle' the war with Russia over his opposition to recognising Moscow's annexation of Crimea. The US administration is urging Kyiv to accept Russia's continued control of occupied Ukrainian regions and Moscow's ownership of the Crimean peninsula as part of a peace settlement. Mr Lopresti, who is serving with the intelligence division, described recent comments by the US president as 'bizarre and astonishing'. 'All our worst fears have been confirmed', he said. '[Trump] just doesn't seem to care. I don't think [the US administration] understands that the Ukrainians are going to carry on fighting. 'I don't think they realise that this cannot be negotiated away and settled arbitrarily. The Ukrainians have got a right to a free existence like everybody else.' Mr Lopresti warned that, if Putin succeeds in taking Ukraine, hostile countries such as North Korea and Iran will 'think they can do what they like' as a 'rules based order goes out the window'. 'Ironically, Trump and his team are focusing on China. But if Ukraine falls, it makes it much more likely that the Chinese would try and attack Taiwan', he explained. On Thursday, Britain urged Vladimir Putin to agree to a 'full and immediate ceasefire without conditions' as it condemned Russia's 'brutal' overnight strike on Kyiv. It came after at least nine people were killed and more than 70 injured after a Russian strike on the Ukrainian capital amid further difficulties in peace talks. Mr Lopresti - whose role involves foreign relations, diplomacy and weapons procurement - also warned that the UK must ramp up its defence spending if Sir Keir Starmer's plan for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine will succeed. 'I'm very proud of what the government are doing with the messaging and what they are trying to achieve. But if we are going to be upping our game as well as our European allies, we are going to have to spend a lot more money on defence', he said. 'Whatever peace comes, it has to be peace through strength. That's the only way: deterrent. That's why Nato has been so successful. That's why the nuclear deterrent has been so successful - because the consequence of any aggression is too high for these countries.'
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Tory MP who joined Ukraine's military says war is ‘battle for Europe'
A former Conservative MP who has joined the Ukrainian military's foreign legion has said it is a privilege to join the force and help in 'a battle for Europe'. Jack Lopresti, who was MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke from 2010 to 2024, lost his seat in the July election. He told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme that he felt 'very privileged' to serve with the International Legion of Ukraine in its defence intelligence division. Speaking from Kyiv, Mr Lopresti said the role involved travel, and that he had been to Poltava and Kharkiv in recent weeks. He denied that the move was an 'emotional reaction' to losing his seat. Mr Lopresti said: 'The last time I spoke in the House of Commons, I said that the defence of the UK began in Ukraine. And I've been coming here for two years now, regularly helping with charities to work with defence manufacturers in my previous constituency.' He said that the war in Ukraine was also 'our battle'. 'I feel very privileged that I'm able to do what I can to help and, with respect, what people need to remember is that the Ukrainians are not only fighting for their own survival, their own freedom, their right to exist as an independent nation, this is also our battle, which is why we've done so much to help in training and military equipment,' Mr Lopresti told Sky News. 'We know what (Russian president Vladimir) Putin wants, which is the restoration of the Russian empire. This war started over 10 years ago with the annexation of Crimea. And if Ukraine falls, if we fail here, then we know he won't stop. 'So, this is a battle for Europe. And if Putin succeeds, it's a green-light for dictators everywhere. And we'll all be in it.' The UK Government continues to advise against travel to Ukraine, Downing Street said. 'We advise against all travel to Ukraine except some western regions of the country,' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesman said. 'But the Government's position in supporting Ukraine through military aid, through military equipment, is steadfast and will continue to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position.'
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Tory MP who joined Ukraine's military says war is ‘battle for Europe'
A former Conservative MP who has joined the Ukrainian military's foreign legion has said it is a privilege to join the force and help in 'a battle for Europe'. Jack Lopresti, who was MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke from 2010 to 2024, lost his seat in the July election. He told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme that he felt 'very privileged' to serve with the International Legion of Ukraine in its defence intelligence division. Speaking from Kyiv, Mr Lopresti said the role involved travel, and that he had been to Poltava and Kharkiv in recent weeks. He denied that the move was an 'emotional reaction' to losing his seat. Mr Lopresti said: 'The last time I spoke in the House of Commons, I said that the defence of the UK began in Ukraine. And I've been coming here for two years now, regularly helping with charities to work with defence manufacturers in my previous constituency.' He said that the war in Ukraine was also 'our battle'. 'I feel very privileged that I'm able to do what I can to help and, with respect, what people need to remember is that the Ukrainians are not only fighting for their own survival, their own freedom, their right to exist as an independent nation, this is also our battle, which is why we've done so much to help in training and military equipment,' Mr Lopresti told Sky News. 'We know what (Russian president Vladimir) Putin wants, which is the restoration of the Russian empire. This war started over 10 years ago with the annexation of Crimea. And if Ukraine falls, if we fail here, then we know he won't stop. 'So, this is a battle for Europe. And if Putin succeeds, it's a green-light for dictators everywhere. And we'll all be in it.' The UK Government continues to advise against travel to Ukraine, Downing Street said. 'We advise against all travel to Ukraine except some western regions of the country,' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesman said. 'But the Government's position in supporting Ukraine through military aid, through military equipment, is steadfast and will continue to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position.'
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Irresponsible' or 'antiwar': US fighters in Ukraine grapple with Trump
Tracey, an American fighting in Ukraine, got angry at social media posts from his friends back home calling for Washington to cut its support to Kyiv. US President Donald Trump has repeated money should be spent at home rather than abroad, part of his "America First" programme that has invigorated many, including Tracey's friends. "Being on the ground in Ukraine and seeing that angers me. It really pisses me off because it's just irresponsible," he told AFP, asking for his surname to be withheld. "We have many issues in the US. The war in Ukraine is not the reason those things are happening," he said, a message he hoped would be heard in his home state, the Republican-led South Carolina. The United States has been Ukraine's biggest military backer since Russia invaded in February 2022, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said it would have lost the war without that support. But in the US, 67 percent of Republicans believe Washington is doing too much to assist Kyiv –- compared to 11 percent of Democrats and 35 percent of independents –- according to a December 2024 Gallup poll. One of Trump's first acts in power was to freeze international aid, with his allies hinting he should make support to Ukraine conditional on Kyiv entering peace talks. - Small-town bubble - Tracey once held such views. He said podcasters like Lex Fridman had convinced him that Russia invaded out of self-defence, and he believed the Kremlin's narrative that Kyiv was threatening Moscow by moving closer to the West. That rationale crumbled in January when Tracey watched "20 Days in Mariupol", a documentary about Russia's ruthless siege on the southern Ukrainian city. "Seeing women and children suffer and just hearing those screams. It sticks with you. And that is stronger than any narrative," he said. The next day he got a bus to Ukraine from Poland, where he was travelling, and joined the International Legion of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, a unit for foreigners. Tracey did not vote in 2024 but he understood why people were drawn to Republican messages. "These are people I love, people I grew up with. They are small-town people that grew up in villages like the ones we're fighting in down here," he told AFP. "I understand that if I was inside that bubble, I would believe it as well." - 'Hit home' - Trump supporter Ishman Martino, a former firefighter trained as a US army machine gunner, has been in the Ukrainian military for the last six months. He once supported Joe Biden's policy of "feeding Ukraine with artillery shells, cannons and mortars and guns and money." But now the 26-year-old -- sporting a tattoo of a Ukrainian trident on his neck and one of an Uncle Sam skeleton on his bicep -- said he backed Trump's approach. "You don't end the war by supporting a war. Believe it or not, Trump is antiwar," he told AFP in an interview in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia. "He said that other countries need to start picking up their slack with taking care of Ukraine, which is very true," he added. Martino enlisted after he saw Russian missiles rip through a children's hospital in Kyiv, where he had travelled to try to repatriate the body of a friend killed fighting for Ukraine. The patients reminded Martino of his little brother, who suffered from cancer as a child. "It hit home, seeing the kids come out, still hooked up to an IV, getting chemo. That's when I was like -- alright I'm here to fight," he said. - 'Country comes first' - As he was fighting, hurricane Helene destroyed Martino's hometown. He shared local anger at Biden's government, which was accused of abandoning the area, and felt guilty for failing to help, which motivated him to fight harder. "Better send me to the trenches... so that I can feel decent about myself for not being at home," he said, describing his thoughts at the time. Martino is now preparing to return to the US after hearing that his little brother has once again been diagnosed with cancer. "My family does come first. In all honesty my country comes first too. But I did my time honourably," he said. He was confident about Ukraine's future, despite Trump's threats. "Ukrainian people are very smart. I truly do believe that they will figure it out, even if we stopped aid now." Tracey, on the other hand, does not think the US will cut support to Ukraine and plans to return to the front as soon as he heals from wounds he suffered in a drone attack. "I've spilt blood in that black Donbas soil. Brothers have died on that soil," he said. "Even though we're not Ukrainian by blood, we feel Ukrainian." brw/jc/jxb
