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Ukraine war: British army chief warns - "We must prepare for combat in Europe"

2022-06-20T07:47:26.139Z


Ukraine war: British army chief warns - "We must prepare for combat in Europe" Created: 2022-06-20 09:42 General Sir Patrick Sanders (left) with Japanese Lieutenant General Yuichi Takada. Sanders has been Chief of Staff of the British Army since June 2022 (archive image, 2018). © KEIZO MORI / UPI Photo / Imago As Boris Johnson warns the West of a "long war" in Ukraine, the British Army chief is


Ukraine war: British army chief warns - "We must prepare for combat in Europe"

Created: 2022-06-20 09:42

General Sir Patrick Sanders (left) with Japanese Lieutenant General Yuichi Takada.

Sanders has been Chief of Staff of the British Army since June 2022 (archive image, 2018).

© KEIZO MORI / UPI Photo / Imago

As Boris Johnson warns the West of a "long war" in Ukraine, the British Army chief is preparing his soldiers to "fight in Europe" alongside their allies.

LONDON - British troops must prepare to fight again in Europe.

British Army Chief of Staff General Sir Patrick Sanders said so, according to a

Sky News

report on Sunday.

In his view, in the escalating Ukraine conflict it could be necessary for the British army to fight alongside its allies in order to defeat Russia.

Ukraine War: Russia's invasion of Ukraine underscores our duty to protect the UK

The British Army chief has told his troops they must "prepare for renewed combat in Europe" in order to defeat Vladimir Putin's forces.

General Sir Patrick Sanders succeeded General Sir Mark Carleton Smith as Chief of Staff on Monday.

He warned his soldiers about the challenges they face in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

"There is now an urgent need to forge an army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating Russia in battle," Sanders said.

"We are the generation that must prepare the army to fight again in Europe," he added.

He was the first army chief to take command of the British army since 1941 in the shadow of a war on mainland Europe involving a continental power.

"Russia's invasion of Ukraine underscores our core mission of protecting the UK - by standing ready to fight and win wars on the mainland," Sanders said.

The Ukraine War in Pictures - Destruction, Resistance and Hope

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War in Ukraine: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson prepares compatriots for a "long war" - and contradicts himself

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on Western allies to prepare for a long war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has resorted to a war of attrition to bring Ukraine to its knees "with sheer brutality," the conservative politician wrote in an op-ed for the British newspaper

Times on Sunday

.

"The UK and its friends must respond by ensuring Ukraine has the strategic staying power to survive and emerge victorious," Johnson wrote.

Time is a crucial factor in this.

"Everything will depend on whether Ukraine can strengthen its capabilities to defend its territory faster than Russia renews its offensive capabilities."

In an interview with the

Bild

newspaper, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also expressed concern that the war could drag on for years.

Stoltenberg warned that there would be a heavy price to pay if support for Ukraine waned.

However, Johnson's assessment in the

Times

contrasts with his own, more optimistic statement from the previous day.

In a television interview on Saturday, the British prime minister spoke out in favor of holding the next Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Ukraine.

"Kyiv or another safe Ukrainian city would be a fantastic venue," Johnson said, adding, "It's a year away, a year!

That will be okay.” The background to the statement is the announcement by the organizers of the ESC that they would start talks with the BBC in Great Britain about the event due to safety concerns.

Actually, the ESC will be held in the country of the winner the following year - in 2022 the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra won

(dpa / bm).

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-06-20

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