Ukraine: Putin's back 'against the wall' as world heads towards 'a Cuban missile crisis moment'
The world is heading towards "a Cuban missile crisis", the chair of the Defence Select Committee has told Forces News.
Tobias Ellwood said he is "very concerned now that we're entering a very dark chapter" in Ukraine's war with Russia, with Moscow telling people to leave Kherson, warning of an upcoming Ukrainian offensive.
"Putin went into Ukraine knowing that if he were to fail, it… could be a turning point for him and his presidency," he said.
"I worry now that he's got his back up against the wall.
"Who'd have ever thought the [world's] third largest army would be defeated by the Ukrainains.
"They've done an incredible job but it does mean he could resort to something drastic, either using a tactical low-yield nuclear weapon himself or, indeed, attacking a nuclear power station."
Mr Ellwood added "we need to think very carefully" about a response and scale out in public what that would look like.
"We are heading towards a Cuban missile crisis at the moment and we can't blink."
Watch: Zelensky on Russia targeting energy facilities and people with missile strikes.
Mr Ellwood's warning over the situation in Ukraine and possible actions by Putin come after James Heappey, Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans of UK, said he would quit if the Government reneged on its pledge to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP – with rumours Defence Secretary Ben Wallace could do the same.
Mr Ellwood said he was "hoping" it wouldn't get to that and the Government could be convinced "on that symbiotic relationship between our economy and, indeed, our security".
"If your economy is affected because of a lack of security, there'll be little money for any Government department, let alone defence.
"So there is, I think, a particular argument, a particular case for investing further in defence.
"Take a step back from Ukraine, our world is getting more dangerous, not less and we need to wake up to that.
He added that the UK, "arguably perhaps more than other nations, has embraced globalisation" meaning the economy is "absolutely reliant on access to international markets and they can be so easily disrupted".
"As we saw with the explosion in Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, how that's affected gas prices.
"We've seen the interruptions in Ukraine, because… those grain ships can't get out of Odessa.
"We're creating budgets which you can't do in silo. Our economy and our national security are one and the same thing.
"There's an exemplar, if you like, that Britain needs to… continue to lead, we can only do that if we move up to 3% GDP," he added.
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