Armed Forces Minister says it's 'nuts' how quickly he can procure equipment for Ukraine compared to the UK

James Heappey, in an interview with Times Radio, said it is "nuts" the speed he can procure equipment for Ukraine compared to equipping UK troops.

He said the equipment that they have procured for the Ukrainian armed forces – in some cases – makes the country "more sophisticated" and "more lethal" than the UK.

He added that now we have seen how quickly we can make a difference in Ukraine "why on earth would we not want to do that for our own Armed Forces?"

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James Heappey addressed Putin's claim that the UK's decision to send shells tipped with depleted uranium to Ukraine is the equivalent to "deploying a dirty bomb" during the war.

The Armed Forces Minister said that "we shouldn't be surprised that that sort of disinformation is being deployed by the Kremlin".

But the UK should be concerned about how the disinformation may be received "in the world beyond Nato".

When asked about what response the UK could expect from Russia he said: "I don't know what they will threaten as a response, but I guarantee that it is a completely unnecessary response to a confected alarmist position which they've taken."

Mr Heappey ended the interview by saying: "We are winning.

"The Ukrainians are going to win – we have to stick with them whatever happens."