Good Morning Britain presenter Richard Madeley has said the West has “one hand behind our backs” against Ukraine as the country have the threat of nuclear bomb capabilities.
Richard was joined by co-presenter Ranvir Singh, who replaced Susanna Reid on the Tuesday show, and discussed the Russian forces poised for a large-scale assault on the Ukrainian border.
The pair interviewed Foreign Secretary Liz Truss over the ongoing threat of a Russian invasion in Ukraine and as the discussion came to a close Richard posed the question about the “terribly dangerous” situation to the MP.
He said: “If this was the pre-nuclear age, things would be much simpler wouldn’t they?
“But the fact of the matter is that the main players have the bomb. That changes everything.
“Do you feel to some extent that the west’s hands are tied, or we have one hand behind our backs, because there’s only so far we can go in confronting Russia before the thing escalates to a terribly dangerous level.”
However, the Foreign Secretary said she doesn’t believe the nuclear bomb threat is the “particular issue” in this instance.
She continued: “I think the issue is the uncertainty over NATO membership and the fact that the Russians are claiming that Ukraine can’t be a member of NATO.
“I think that’s the issue we need to resolve. We need to be clear.”
Co-host Ranvir asked the MP whether the best approach would be to “block” Ukraine’s potential membership to the alliance, but Liz Truss said this would not be the appropriate approach.
She said: “We need to be clear it is a sovereign decision for Ukraine and NATO and it is not Russia’s decision about how the countries near Russia defend their own security.
“Russian security is not at risk. No one thinks Ukraine is trying to invade Russia. It’s very clear who the aggressor is.”
She continued: “The West has not been strong enough in response to Crimea. We need to be very very tough in the sanctions we’re putting forward. There is no doubt this is a very perilous situation we find ourselves in.”
Richard posed his final question to the MP, asking whether there would be a “collective sigh of relief” if Ukraine said they would not join NATO, but the Foreing Secretary said this would not solve the situation.
She concluded: “Vladimir Putin has made it very clear his intention is not just to stop Ukraine joining NATO. He has said the Ukrainian government is illegitimate. They are doing everything they can to try and undermine Ukraine and bring it into the sphere of Russian influence.”
This comes as Ranvir Singh has reportedly stepped down from her role as the Good Morning Britain Political Editor.
An insider has shared that the TV star decided to wave goodbye to the job after growing fed up with early starts and standing outside No 10 - but would be happy with a "more substantial" role in the main studio.
"Ranvir is ready for a new challenge at Good Morning Britain and she wants a bigger role within the team," the source told The Sun.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.
