Ukraine war 'absolutely tragic' but we need to avoid global conflict, says Wolverhampton MP
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is "absolutely tragic" but leaders need to make sure the situation doesn't escalate into a global conflict, a Black Country MP has warned.
Stuart Anderson, who sits on the Defence Select Committee, said the UK should continue to provide "everything" it can to help Ukrainians amid the conflict.
But he warned against any potential "miscalculation" which could spark a global conflict – such as sending troops into the country to fight off the invasion.
Mr Anderson, MP for Wolverhampton South West, said the situation could escalate if this happens due to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).
Article 5 of the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty – known as the Washington Treaty – would mean any attack on one Nato member is treated as an attack on all.
The former British Army sniper said: "If we put any troops in on the ground there, then straight away we're declaring a global war against Russia.
"If we did that, there's no doubt there would be global war. This is an absolutely tragic situation, an illegal invasion by (Vladimir) Putin, but we don't want to turn this into a global conflict."
Mr Anderson said talks of controlling airspace – as in shooting down any Russian aircraft – would lead to further escalation, a "miscalculation" the world has seen "in the build-up to the First World War".
Mr Anderson added: "We should continue to provide everything we're doing right now, from donations to fuel, to weapons, we must support them – that way we're not putting troops on the ground and causing a global war."
He said Vladimir Putin's decision to put Russia's deterrent forces – including nuclear weapons – on special alert needed to be taken seriously, but he viewed it as a "distraction from the atrocities" currently happening.
Ukraine is currently not a member of Nato but wants to be – with calls being made for leaders to agree for the country to have a Membership Action Plan (MAP).
The MAP is the biggest step in the formalisation of the process to join Nato and, once current members agree the requirements are met, official talks can commence.
