Latest news with #Lopresti
Times
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Times
Ukraine will not accept ‘stitch-up' deal, says MP turned soldier
Ukraine will not have a 'stitch-up deal' forced upon it and its armed forces are prepared to carry on fighting without US backing, according to a British former MP turned soldier in Ukraine's military. Jack Lopresti, who is serving in the International Legion's military intelligence unit as well as in a liaison role helping with weapons procurement, said Donald Trump's ceasefire proposal amounted to 'appeasement' of a dictator. On a brief visit to London, he said that Ukraine could continue to fight without US equipment as long as Britain and Europe ramped up their military support. He said: 'They are not going to put up with having a stitch-up deal forced upon them. They are prepared to fight and carry on fighting. The morale is incredibly high; it's astonishing. 'They are fighting for their existence, for their survival, and they are not going to give up any time soon, even if America withdraws.' Washington's proposal is to recognise the Russian annexation of Crimea and Russia's conquest of a fifth of Ukraine's territory in the east. Kyiv must also accept that membership of Nato is ruled out indefinitely, and hand over immediate control of Ukraine's rare earth resources, as well as its oil and gas industries, to a joint fund from which America could profit. Trump's administration has already threatened to remove itself from the discussions if the two sides do not agree, raising fears US support for Ukraine could be pulled altogether. 'It's been our worst nightmare what has transpired,' Lopresti said, wearing a fleece inscribed with 'freedom can't be stopped' in Ukrainian. 'I think the deal is pretty disgusting, it's appeasement. 'It basically says if you are a dictator and you take land and you kill people and commit war crimes and kidnap over 20,000 children, as long as you stay put, eventually you will get something and then you can come back for more.' Lopresti, 55, a father-of-four, spoke to The Times after coming off the phone to friends in Kyiv. He had called them to check they were safe after a deadly Russian missile and drone attack on Wednesday night. He travelled to Ukraine early this year to join Ukraine's equivalent of the Foreign Legion after losing his parliamentary seat in July last year. After serving as a reservist in the British Army, which included a deployment to Afghanistan, he was elected MP for Filton & Bradley Stoke, near Bristol, in 2010. He also served as Conservative Party deputy chairman. During his time as an MP he had stage four bowel cancer but recovered after chemotherapy. When he signed up to help Ukraine at the end of last year, he had been prepared to fight in the trenches, he said. Although he generally carries out more of a liaison role to make use of his skills, he has also been deployed to the front line where he has come under Russian drone attack. • Western officials have recently said that Russia's progress on the battlefield has slowed, although it is still advancing. Some experts question how long Ukraine could fight on without US support. In March, when the US suspended military aid and intelligence-sharing with Kyiv, a senior official said Ukraine could 'last a matter of months, maybe less' without US support. However, striking a relatively upbeat tone about the challenge Ukraine faces, Lopresti said: 'They are not losing … cities are being smashed, but they are holding the line, they are successfully defending their country.' He believes Britain and Europe could fill any void left by the US if necessary. He insisted that Ukraine wants peace, ,but was 'not going to be shafted'. He said: 'They are going to remain a sovereign independent country.' If President Zelensky were to agree to Trump's demands, he would have to change the constitution, which states that Ukraine's sovereignty 'extends throughout its entire territory' which 'within its present border is indivisible and inviolable'. The former MP said that if there was a frozen conflict, Putin would return again to take more territory. 'The defence of the UK starts in Ukraine,' he warned. Would he die for Ukraine? 'I'm joining a military of a country at war, fighting for its own survival,' he said. 'I could have been killed last night. You have to be prepared to make those sorts of sacrifices, otherwise there is no point.'
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.'
Sky News
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Former Tory MP speaks from Ukraine after joining military following end of political career
"If Ukraine falls… we know what happens next", former Tory MP Jack Lopresti tells Trevor Phillips from Kyiv. Less than a year ago, he was the parliamentary representative for Filton and Bradley Stoke near Bristol - now he is working with the Ukrainian military. Mr Lopresti is a former reservist soldier, although plays down his time in Afghanistan when asked. But he has returned to his past way of life after leaving politics behind. "The last time I spoke in the House of Commons, I said that the defence of the UK began in Ukraine," Mr Lopresti - who says he prefers being called Jack (short for Giacomo) - told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips. "And I've been coming here for two years now, regularly helping with charities to work with defence manufacturers in my previous constituency. "And about a year ago, I thought to myself, well, you know, politics looks difficult for us as a party at the moment, to say the least, and if I were not re-elected, then I'd come out here and do whatever I could to help. And I knew in the back of my mind that more than likely I would end up in the military, which is where I am." This is a somewhat different path than that taken by many former politicians - who tend to revert to careers as lawyers, lobbyists or talking heads. Mr Lopresti says Ukrainians are not just fighting for their own survival and freedom - but that is also "our" battle, referring to the UK's support for Kyiv. "If Ukraine falls, if we fail here, then we know [Putin] won't stop. So, you know, this is a battle for Europe. "And if Putin succeeds, it is a green light for dictators everywhere." The former MP goes on: "I cannot reiterate that enough really - if Ukraine falls, that we know what comes next. Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, a war with NATO. Perhaps the Chinese will look and say, actually, these guys won't fight, so we'll move on Taiwan. "You know, this is a must win. And that's what I'm motivated by." Since Donald Trump's election as US president last year, there has been talk about whether talks to end the war will begin. Overnight, Mr Trump said he had spoken to Vladimir Putin on the phone - although the Russian side has not yet confirmed the conversation took place. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Mr Trump "let's do a deal" - offering the US a partnership over Ukraine's stores of rare earth minerals. Also overnight, Russian state media claimed that the nation's armed forces had claimed control of the Orikhovo-Vasylivka settlement in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
The Independent
09-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
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. 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 Jack Lopresti 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. We advise against all travel to Ukraine except some western regions of the country. But the Government's position in supporting Ukraine through military aid, through military equipment, is steadfast Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesman '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.'
