The Palace has appointed me Lord High Constable of England for the coronation. We need to capture the same sense of urgency and pace and apply it to how we do things at home to become even more effective. As ever, the people on the ground are magnificent: clear, committed, resilient, action-oriented ultimately, problem solvers. His reply is resoundingly supportive, as is the US, France, Egypt, Germany and India. I phone my Saudi counterpart to coordinate. Early decisions to deploy troops, marines and transport aircraft to Cyprus are paying dividends. The ceasefire is fragile, communications are difficult, the logistical challenge immense and evacuees are flowing from tens to hundreds to potentially thousands. The Vice Chief, General Gwyn Jenkins, updates me on the evacuation of British citizens from Sudan. I am reunited with my phone and am confronted by a backlog of messages. I emerge from a day of briefings confident in Ukraine’s ability to prevail, providing the international community stays strong.īritish universities are beyond redemption The pressure is immense, but it is carried well, and I have enormous respect for his leadership. His eyes also light up when told we have sourced more weapons. I always give him a bottle of Glenmorangie whisky. President Zelensky looks fit and healthy, as does my counterpart, General Zaluzhnyi. The curtains are pulled and sandbags are everywhere but there is no sense of crisis, just steady determination. We arrive in Kyiv and head to see Volodymyr Zelensky. Four out of five of Russia’s recent offensives have failed and the fifth, Bakhmut, has cost Moscow 30,000 dead and wounded. Putin thought he could take Kyiv and the cities of Ukraine in a matter of days, but now faces a horrific war of attrition. This conflict has been a disaster for the Kremlin. At the time we still hoped war could be averted. I think back to travelling to Moscow with Ben Wallace before the invasion and a meeting with my Russian opposite, General Gerasimov. The enforced lack of phones combined with a steady rhythm for ten hours aids reflection. The train is punctual and with an aura of seasoned grandeur. The continuity of access reflects the extraordinary trust between Britain and Ukraine.
This time I am with Tim Barrow, our National Security Adviser. Previously I accompanied Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
This is my fourth visit to the country since the invasion. Travelling to Ukraine on the President’s train is the most secure route into Kyiv.
0 kommentar(er)
