Britain and Europe must elevate their defences and rearm faster than Russia as President Putin prepares for a war with Nato, the Ukrainian defence minister has said.
On a visit to London, Denys Shmyhal, newly appointed to the role, said the Russian leader had demonstrated his country’s “aggressive intentions” for the next decade and if Ukraine and Europe were not strong, he would strike again after any peace deal.
In an interview with The Times in an underground room, he said: “We should not just pause this war. We need to finish this war. Don’t let Russians attack again.”
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Speaking after a meeting with Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary-general, John Healey, the British defence secretary, and other defence ministers on Tuesday night, he said Russia was accelerating the production of artillery ammunition, missiles and tanks as well as mobilising personnel despite talks about peace.
He said: “In their doctrine they are preparing for the war with Nato.
“Russia is now increasing its power, so we all European nations need to be ready for Russian aggression in future. We need to have well-trained personnel, we need to have security guarantees, be co-ordinated and be very well prepared.”
His remarks came hours before Poland, with the help of Nato allies, shot down Russian drones over its territory after an attack prompted widespread alarm in the alliance.
John Healey, wearing a red tie, with (from left) Alice Rufo, the French director-general of international relations and strategy, Jens Plotner, the German secretary of state for armaments and innovation, Guido Crosetto, the Italian defence minister, Marcin Kazmierski, the Polish director of international security policy, and Shmyhal at the Group of Five defence ministers’ meeting at Royal Artillery Barracks, London, on Wednesday JAIMI JOY/REUTERS
A senior diplomatic source in Poland said there were “serious worries about the massive incursion”, which amounted to the biggest violation of Polish airspace by Russia since the war began.
The source said Russia was “testing Nato” and “using the political space that Trump is giving to Putin”, adding: “Russia wants to show with its massive attacks on Ukraine and this hybrid warfare that they are having the upper hand.”
Shmyhal said that in the event of any peace deal there would be a new arms race between Russia and the West. Russia would spend the next “three to four years” preparing for another war by rearming and significantly investing in defence.
The defence minister, a former prime minister of Ukraine, said there would need to be a huge rearmament push funded by billions of pounds of investment to stop Russia invading Ukraine again and going for Europe.
“We shouldn’t imagine this Armageddon scenario — we just should be ready,” he said.
• Russian drones enter Polish airspace during Ukraine aerial assault
He said that if a peace deal were agreed, Britain and Europe would need to put boots on the ground in Ukraine and be prepared to fight back if Russia was to be deterred.
He said troops should be stationed at training camps and at headquarters in Ukrainian cities so they can “react immediately”.
This would be similar to an article 5 approach, he said, where an attack against one nation is deemed to be an attack against all.
There has been doubt over whether European forces would be given the authority to strike back at attacking Russian forces or whether they would retreat.
Shmyhal spoke of a no-fly zone over Ukraine — possibly even with American and other allies’ aircraft monitoring the skies constantly — and the front line being manned by drones. Drones and other surveillance equipment could monitor any breaches of the peace, it is thought.
As many as five countries have said they would put soldiers on the ground in Ukraine. The country wants other nations to finance its armed forces so they can remain in post and be ready, Shmyhal said. A key priority for Ukraine is ensuring it has enough personnel who are equipped and ready to fight if Russia tries to breach any deal.
Shmyhal, who said he was grateful to be in the UK where he said drones were not persistently flying overhead, described the horror of a 10-40km “kill zone” on the front line in Ukraine comprising only drones “where nothing alive can move because drones are flying and destroying everything or killing everyone who is in the zone”.
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To compete with Russia, Ukraine needed to produce 400,000 drones per month, he said. Russia is sending hundreds of drones a day over Ukraine to kill and maim its armed forces and civilians.
“This new war is absolutely another kind of war,” Shmyhal said.
Ukraine and Russia are already using drones that kill the enemy without a human in the loop, he also admitted, and Ukraine and Europe can work together to develop new weapons and then test them on the battlefield.
particle on September 10th, 2025 at 19:03 UTC »
Do you guys see it as a coincidence that we have all the turmoil in France just when this happens?
Few-Worldliness2131 on September 10th, 2025 at 17:40 UTC »
I keep reading this type of narrative but can’t square it with the fact that for the last 3 years Russia has failed miserably to accomplish much at so in Ukraine! Where is this massive add successful military that should have NATO trembling?
To me it sneaks a lot like the 1970’s when the defence contractors did everything to frightening voters in order that governments rushed to stands more in defence. With fear stoked as stories of USSR supremacy in every newspaper nobody was pushing back when huge sums rushed to the defence contractors and social services suffered.
I think this is a coordinated campaign to extract trillions from governments in the West and funnel them in to the always deep pockets of defence contractors.
TimesandSundayTimes on September 10th, 2025 at 17:33 UTC »
Britain and Europe must elevate their defences and rearm faster than Russia as President Putin prepares for a war with Nato, the Ukrainian defence minister has said.
On a visit to London, Denys Shmyhal, newly appointed to the role, said the Russian leader had demonstrated his country’s “aggressive intentions” for the next decade and if Ukraine and Europe were not strong, he would strike again after any peace deal.
In an interview with The Times in an underground room, he said: “We should not just pause this war. We need to finish this war. Don’t let Russians attack again”