Andrei Kelin told Sky’s Dermot Murnaghan that UK-supplied weapons are now being used to bomb civilians in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. He said: “The conflict will end and … it may end very soon because … the UK will realize that there is no chance of beating Russia. “The conflict will be prolonged if the UK continues to supply weapons, which are now also being used to bomb towns and civilians in the Donbass and other areas. “And the more the UK sends weapons, the further… the Ukrainian authorities [will] continue the conflict.” Ukraine war live updates: Kremlin accuses US, UK of hybrid warfare In June, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Britain had bought and was refurbishing more than 20 long-range 155mm guns from a Belgian arms company to send to Ukraine, but it was not known whether they had been delivered or were being used. He and other defense ministers also confirmed that multiple rocket launchers and short-range missile systems would be sent and that Ukrainian soldiers had received training in the UK on a range of weapons. However, Sky News had no independent confirmation that any of the weapons provided resulted in civilian deaths. Mr Kelin added that the new UK government, when formed after a new Conservative leader is elected, should be realistic in its policy on Ukraine as “the conflict will not go on forever”. He denied lying when he told Sky News in January that Russia had no intention of invading Ukraine, insisting he was only saying what he knew “at the time”. He described UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s steadfast support for the Ukrainian government’s bid to fend off the Russian invasion as “completely wrong”. He said: “This is a miscalculation, a strategic miscalculation of what’s going on there, because … Russia is winning and winning quite quickly. “The UK is trying to supply arms to Ukraine, but the more it supplies arms to Ukraine, the more Ukraine will suffer. “It is now clear that Ukraine is losing ground and [we are] is gaining ground in Donbass… To me, I wonder what the UK government’s exit strategy will be if it keeps repeating that Ukraine must prevail? It’s just unrealistic.” Image: Ukrainian soldiers use Western-supplied weapons in the Donbas region When asked about the war crimes some of the Conservative leadership candidates have accused Russia of committing in the past, he said it was Ukraine that committed war crimes. He continued: “First and foremost, we have a record of crimes committed during eight years when the Ukrainians were bombing Donbas, bombing innocent people there, killing peaceful civilians. “And they continue to do the same now… in Donbass in particular. It continues for eight years. We have that record and will apply for it. “We have a long record of Ukrainian crimes committed during, after [the] coup there and during the civil war.” Still, on Thursday, more than 40 US and European judicial authorities agreed to coordinate investigations into suspected Russian war crimes in Ukraine. On the issue of ships unable to reach Black Sea ports due to the Russian blockade, he said it was Ukraine’s responsibility to remove the mines that were preventing shipments from passing through. His comments came as Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations were working on a deal aimed at resuming Ukraine’s grain exports. Mr Kelin said he was confident a deal would be struck to allow grain ships to pass. He said: “Merchant ships will be escorted, I think, and that is now on the negotiating table, but probably [the] Turks will participate. We are setting up a control center in Turkey right now for this.” Read more: What will happen to Donbass now that Lugansk has fallen to Russia? Dancing On Ice Trains Young Skater Who Fleeed Ukraine War As Pro UK Call Vladimir Putin ‘ruler’ not ‘president’, Russian leader’s Kremlin allies say Asked whether Russia would cut gas supplies to Europe in the autumn, Mr Kelin said it was the EU’s decision to reduce its dependence on Russian gas, not the Kremlin’s. There are growing fears that continued gas shortages could push Europe into a deep recession – signs of which are already emerging. He said: “This is the European Union that said by 2030, I think, they will completely minimize gas, oil and energy consumption from Russia and by this year they will end it. “Thus they gradually reduce the consumption of our energy sources. “Now, of course, we would like to fulfill all our contracts… We have a reputation [as a] reliable supplier and we will continue to supply him. But on the other hand, we should also take measures to find some alternatives, because until they reduce it, we have to find other markets for it.” The full interview will be on Sky News Tonight with Dermot Murnaghan at 8.30pm tonight.
