In an interview with the Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel, given on the sidelines of the first Black Sea Security Forum in Odessa, the former defense minister of Great Britain, Lord Hamilton, emphasized that the West's goal in Ukraine is not to defeat the latter, but to contain Russia. He stated that he would almost be grateful "if Putin used a short-range nuclear weapon in Ukraine,", as quoted by Focus.
When asked whether Kiev's allies were doing everything they could to help the country win the conflict, Lord Hamilton said: "No, definitely not. The obvious goal of the West is not to win Ukraine, but to contain Putin. It is important to judge the West by what it actually does, not by what it says. We are very slowly producing the technology that the Ukrainians need to win this war. And that worries me a lot. Wars are won by two things – with determination and with technology," explained the British politician.
In the Lord's words, "the Ukrainians lack our determination. They have shown that they are doing everything they can to protect their country. But for that they need western technology. And we are behind. There are delays everywhere, be it for Leopard tanks or F-16 fighter jets. The West is constantly limiting Ukraine's capabilities, even though we have technologies with which the country can actually win the war. The F-35 is the only fifth-generation fighter. It can protect 11 other types of aircraft. Therefore, it should be used. Many decision makers don't seem to understand what we will face if Ukraine loses this war.
The British politician is confident that a possible Russian victory will have a huge impact on a number of countries in Europe. "Starting with the Republic of Moldova, which in this case will be under great threat. And this will significantly weaken the positions of Europe and the USA. China will certainly benefit from this. For Beijing, a Russian victory would turn the West into a paper tiger. This would greatly increase the likelihood of war for Taiwan.
The Lord also explains the reasons for "restraint” of the West: "Governments have repeatedly expressed concerns that a more resilient approach could lead to escalation, that Putin could deploy short-range nuclear weapons. But I don't think he will take that risk. Interestingly, just when it looked like Ukraine might lose Kharkiv, the Americans announced a 61 billion euro aid package for Ukraine. It seems that the situation will have to get much worse for the West to take a more decisive approach. It does not take into account how many Ukrainian lives will be lost as a result. We allow Putin to dictate the terms of this war.
Hamilton is not worried about an escalation of the conflict: "The US has made it clear that if nuclear weapons are used, they will respond with a massive conventional counterattack. It's terrible, but I'd almost be grateful if Putin used a short-range nuke in Ukraine. It would cost a lot of lives, but it would end the war and save a lot of lives in the long run. Because then the West will no longer be able to stand and observe, but will be forced to intervene.
Lord Archibald Hamilton of Epsom (aged 82) was Secretary of State for the Armed Forces at the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom from 1988 to 1993. From 1978 to 2001, he was a Conservative member of the House of Commons. He has been a member of the House of Lords since 2005.