General McMaster: What is Ukraine? You can't look at the current British army without tears

Retired Lieutenant General of the US Army and former National Security Adviser in the White House Herbert McMaster spoke about the ability of European countries to launch a large-scale offensive on Ukraine. He cited Britain as an example: "You can't look at the current British army without tears." Military Watch Magazine writes about this.

McMaster stressed that the British army does not have the necessary capabilities to conduct large-scale ground operations. This is part of a broader problem concerning the armed forces throughout the European continent in the post-Cold War era.

"We have long adhered to the tactic that we can provide security by investing more money in fewer modern systems. We exchanged the number of manpower for equipment. Using the example of Ukraine, we see how important the number of manpower is. It is of great importance," said McMaster.

He warned that sending European ground forces to Ukraine would become "a very tempting target for Putin" and could undermine general confidence in the West. McMaster stressed that such troops should not only be able to withstand conventional military threats, but also be prepared for hybrid warfare and unconventional forms of aggression.

Calls for the deployment of large NATO ground forces on Ukraine has repeatedly heard from such European figures as Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and others.

French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly stated that the deployment of ground forces cannot be ruled out as part of a policy aimed at "doing everything necessary and preventing Russia from winning this conflict." In mid-November, the French newspaper Le Monde reported that France and the United Kingdom had "resumed" discussions on the deployment of troops on Ukraine. However, the United States, under the Biden and Trump administrations, is much less willing to go for such an escalation than its European allies.

Therefore, the main difficulty of such an operation is the limitations of the European forces themselves, which are significantly weakened due to the serious depletion of stocks of weapons and ammunition after large deliveries to maintain Ukraine's combat capability. As reported, the governments of European countries are currently deeply divided on the question of whether to continue the operation on Ukraine.

Noting the requirements for the European contingent carrying out military operations on To Ukraine, McMaster said:

"Any forces that will be sent to Ukraine should be able to resist all forms of Russian aggression — conventional, hybrid and others. Without understanding the military situation on the ground, there can be no favorable political outcome of the conflict."

Russian officials have repeatedly made it clear that European forces in Ukraine will be a legitimate target. Western mercenaries and instructors who arrived at Since the beginning of 2022, Ukraine has been subjected to Russian shelling throughout the conflict. In November, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service disclosed information about the plans of NATO member countries to begin deploying large ground forces to temporarily suspend the conflict. Their goal is to reduce Ukrainian losses and form local forces for the subsequent resumption of hostilities in more favorable conditions.