The former Labour leader said sending weapons to Kyiv won’t bring about a solution and the West must instead secure a peace deal

Jeremy Corbyn has criticised the UK and the West for supplying Ukraine with weapons as he said “pouring arms in” will only “prolong and exaggerate” the war.

The former Labour leader said sending weapons to Kyiv as it tries to defend itself against the Russian invasion will not bring about an end to the conflict.

He said it is “disappointing” that “hardly any of the world’s leaders use the word peace” when discussing the war and claimed too many “use the language of more war and more bellicose war”.

Mr Corbyn, the independent MP for Islington North, also said that “much more effort” must be put into securing a peace deal and if the UN cannot negotiate a ceasefire then it should make way for an organisation which can.

The comments, made in an interview with Al Mayadeen, an independent Arab satellite news channel, are likely to prompt a ferocious backlash from Tory and Labour MPs alike.

Jeremy Corbyn on the repercussions of the #Russia-#Ukraine war on #European countries.@jeremycorbyn @MoussaSrour pic.twitter.com/LkY21g7Q03

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 1, 2022
Tobias Ellwood, the chairman of the Defence Select Committee and a former defence minister, labelled Mr Corbyn’s comments “deeply irresponsible”.

He told The Telegraph: “He is illustrating yet again why he would have been such an inappropriate prime minister for the nation because he doesn’t understand that the geopolitical consequences of supporting democracy occasionally means using hard power.

“This is deeply irresponsible for a senior politician. I hope his comments are not seen to (undermine) the wider support for, and the commitment to, supporting Ukraine following this unprovoked invasion by Putin.”

The UK has been one of the leading backers of Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, as his forces try to repel the Russian invasion.

Britain has sent hundreds of millions of pounds worth of military aid to Ukraine in recent months and Mr Zelensky has repeatedly praised Boris Johnson for standing by his country in the fight against Vladimir Putin.

But Mr Corbyn criticised the decision to send weapons as he said: “Pouring arms in isn’t going to bring about a solution. It is only going to prolong and exaggerate this war.

“We might be in for years and years of war in the Ukraine. But then the world woke up and suddenly realised that Russia and Ukraine are the world’s biggest grain exporters and something has to be done so they came to an agreement and I hope it holds to export grain through Odesa and through the Bosphorus to the rest of the world. That is a good move.

“But at the same time putting more and more arms into Ukraine isn’t going to bring about it.”

Mr Zelenksy has made clear that he will not agree to cede any land to Russia to secure a peace deal.

Mr Corbyn said there must be “more, much more effort, put into peace”.

He said: “What I find disappointing is that hardly any of the world’s leaders use the word peace. They always use the language of more war and more bellicose war.

“Ukrainians are dying, Ukrainians have gone into exile, thousands and thousands, and Russian soldiers are dying, conscripted young Russian soldiers are dying. This war is disastrous for the people of Ukraine, for the people of Russia and for the safety and security of the whole world.

“And therefore there has to be more, much more effort, put into peace.”

Mr Corbyn said the UN “ought to be centre stage” in peace efforts and added: “If the UN cannot negotiate a ceasefire of some sort then bring in somebody else who can.

“The African Union, League of Arab States, there are many forums around the world that have no direct economic interest one way or the other between Russia and Ukraine who might be able to broker a peace. But there has to be peace, otherwise what are we looking at?”

Mr Corbyn also said that the war is having a “huge” impact on Europe in terms of energy supplies. He claimed that Germany “cannot exist without Russian gas”.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/08/02/jeremy-corbyn-criticises-uk-prolonging-war-ukraine/

Their eyes don dey clear. They know Ukraine won't win this war even as western arms keep pouring into Ukraine.

Am waiting for winter to come let me see how Germany will cope when Russia tight up the gas flow.