'Poland will be next!': Ukrainian MP's stark warning on West inaction against Putin
16 March 2022, 07:40
'Poland will be next' Ukrainian MP's stark warning
Andrii Osadchuk a Ukrainian MP for the Golos party gave a stark warning while speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast. He told Nick if the West failed to act on Putin's invasion of his country then "you will be next."
The conversation comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that peace talks with Russia are becoming "more realistic" after having conceded that Ukraine will never join NATO.
Mr Osadchuk said Russia had "totally failed" in its original plan to invade Ukraine with the troops "suffering due to huge losses" with the invading forces seeing equipment destroyed and soldiers killed.
"We burned more than 400 tanks," the MP told LBC, but he warned the fear was now that Russia would use "all possible measures and all possible means" to achieve their aims.
"They're acting like mad dogs!"
The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) says Russia's advance in Ukraine has been stymied by a lack of manoeuvrability, which has been "adeptly exploited" by the Ukrainian forces.
In its latest defence intelligence update, the MoD wrote on Twitter: "Russian forces are struggling to overcome the challenges posed by Ukraine's terrain.
"Russian forces have remained largely tied to Ukraine's road network and have demonstrated a reluctance to conduct off-road manoeuvre. The destruction of bridges by Ukrainian forces has also played a key role in stalling Russia's advance.
"Russia's continued failure to gain control of the air has drastically limited their ability to effectively use air manoeuvre, further limiting their options.
"The tactics of the Ukrainian armed forces have adeptly exploited Russia's lack of manoeuvre, frustrating the Russian advance and inflicting heavy losses on the invading forces."
Ukrainian MP updates LBC on situation in his country
The MP was speaking to LBC from the city of Kyiv which has now been encircled by Russian troops.
When Nick Ferrari asked the MP how much he regretted that his country now looked unlike to join NATO, the reply was stark.
"I want everybody in the West to understand it is not the question of Ukraine in NATO.
"Putin is testing you, Putin is testing how smart and brave and bold you are."
Then came the warning, "if you are standing back, it will mean that you will be next!"
Mr Osadchuk warned "Poland will be next, Lithuania will be next."
On Wednesday morning Boris Johnson said there is "no way Ukraine is going to join Nato anytime soon" but stressed that the decision had to be for the country's president to take.
Speaking to broadcasters at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, the Prime Minister said: "I talked to Volodymyr (Zelensky) again yesterday and of course I understand what he is saying about Nato and the reality of the position.
"And everybody has always said - and we've made it clear to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin - that there is no way Ukraine is going to join Nato anytime soon.
"But the decision about the future of Ukraine has got to be for the Ukrainian people, and Volodymyr Zelensky is their elected leader and we will back him.
"And the most important thing is that Putin's aggression, his absolutely barbaric attacks on Ukraine should stop and they should not be seen to have succeeded, and they won't succeed."
