Ukraine defeat would cost the West trillions of dollars, – former UK Defense Minister

Former British Secretary of State for the Armed Forces James Heappey has warned that Ukraine’s defeat by Russia would cost the West trillions of dollars in a new Cold War, The Telegraph reports.

Heappey noted in his article for The House Magazine that Ukraine needs more aid packages like those announced last week to win the battle for “security in the entire Euro-Atlantic region.”

“A stalemate or, heaven forbid, a Ukrainian defeat promises a new cold war that will last for decades and cost trillions of dollars more,” the British politician emphasized.

The former British Minister of Armed Forces pointed out that the recent aid packages from the United States and the United Kingdom will not immediately tip the scales in allowing Ukraine to launch an offensive that “will bring quick and complete victory.”

“I expect that with this huge influx of Western support, we will see stabilization on the frontline, and although the fighting will be fierce, I don’t expect there to be any significant territorial changes on the frontline this year,” Heappey said.

James Heappey asserts that Ukrainian brigades require training in a complex maneuver that synchronizes their movement with artillery fire, air support, and other potential threats from the Russians.

At the same time, he expressed doubt that Ukrainian troops would be ready to defeat the Russians by 2025 or even 2026.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the allocation of the largest defense support package, in the amount of half a billion pounds.

At the same time, after the 21st meeting in the Ramstein format, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin confirmed that the United States is allocating $6 billion in military assistance to Ukraine under the USAI mechanism.

The USAI program stipulates that the US government contracts with American defense companies to produce new weapons for Ukraine rather than supplying equipment from its warehouses.

On April 24, Congress passed a package of legislation that US President Joe Biden signed, providing nearly $61 billion in additional military and economic assistance to Ukraine and other US allies.