He urged Ukraine to maintain the pace of its offensive deep into Russian territory.
British Ambassador to Kyiv Neil Crompton urged Ukraine to increase pressure with long-range attacks, despite difficulties in supplying air defense weapons from allied countries.
According to RT on August 12, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, British Ambassador to Kyiv Neil Crompton mentioned a certain advantage Kyiv has in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, suggesting that this advantage should be strengthened through attacks on Russian territory.
The diplomat noted that the real major change lies in the increased strength and influence of Ukraine's medium- and long-range attacks. In Crompton's view, Ukraine now holds a certain advantage and needs to increase pressure on Russia to force Moscow into serious negotiations. He argued that these actions would demonstrate that Russia cannot control the entire Donbass region as it claims, while simultaneously creating sufficient military pressure. Based on this argument, the ambassador expressed support for Ukraine's offensive tactics targeting Russian infrastructure.
Mr. Crompton quoted President Zelensky as saying that Ukraine does not want to target Russian civilians, but that the Russian people need to feel the political consequences of the war. Assessing the situation, the British diplomat suggested that time seems to be on Ukraine's side, although he acknowledged that the conflict has turned into a "war of attrition." Therefore, the head of the British diplomatic mission in Kyiv emphasized that the Ukrainian people need to show "strategic patience."
When asked about the possibility of the UK providing practical assistance to address Ukraine's air defense missile shortage, Mr. Crompton explained that London does not have Patriot systems available to transfer to Kyiv. Meanwhile, Britain's own air defense systems are primarily deployed on warships in the North Sea and "cannot be deployed elsewhere." However, the ambassador affirmed that the British government is prepared to act as a mediator to lobby for Ukraine's interests.
He pointed out that there is strong political will to support Kyiv. This is one of the issues where other countries, which may possess PAC-3 interceptor missile stockpiles or have licenses to manufacture the system, would provide more effective assistance, and London could certainly discuss this with those partners.
