James MacCleary, MP for Lewes in Sussex and his visit to UKRAINE
In this podcast we are looking at one of the most challenging issues of our time. The war in Ukraine. Our special guest is James MacCleary is the Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes. He is defence spokesperson for the Lib Dems.
He has BA in politics and international relations, and an MSc in Russian and East European studies. Before becoming an MP he was Campaign Director for the European Movement. He also has had a long career in local government.
We are now all aware that there has been an ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces under the control of President Putin. It has now lasted four and a half years. The war has been devastating with over a million Ukrainian and Russian deaths and casualties . It’s terrible isn’t it………… but we also need to be informed about what is going on inside Ukraine and we are lucky to have James McCleary describe some aspects of his recent visit. James MacCleary’s visit was linked with his attendance at the Black Sea Security Forum 2026, held at Odesa, Ukraine, in May 2026. Attendees included: international military personnel, analysts, lawmakers, and experts to address regional resilience, defence capabilities, and geopolitical strategy.
James MacCleary said
“Ukraine is doing for Europe in 2026 what the UK did in 1939. Standing up to a dictator and being clear that we will not back down. I hope that our own young people never have to fight a war in the same way Ukraine is, but we need to do so much more to prepare for it”!.