Adam Holloway MP: I stayed right on the Ukrainian border in south-east Poland. I went to a McDonalds and it was full of women and children and a few older people. Then I crossed over. There were thousands of women and kids in the queues, men being separated off, some of them stuck at the border posts for days in the cold. Driving further in it was just one long traffic jam, miles of cars full of people trying to get out. It’s a very serious situation.

BP: What about the Ukrainians themselves? How are they responding?

AH: They’re determined to fight and support Ukraine in whatever ways possible. I haven’t been there long but it’s obvious. People packing medical kits in a children’s nursery, volunteers turning up at conscription points. So many wanting to join up that they’re only taking those with military experience, and there still aren’t enough weapons. As a former soldier I know the will to fight matters more than anything. These people aren’t asking us to do the fighting for them. They want the kit, proper air defence and more anti-tank weapons. If Kyiv falls it gets much harder for everyone.

BP: Poland is taking a lot of this. How do you see the Polish role, of the government and of the civic society?

AH: Poland is carrying a big part of it. The border I crossed is the main route, refugees coming out and aid and lots of equipment being sent in. The Poles have already taken huge numbers and they’re running the crossings and the temporary shelters. Without that it would be a lot worse. We should recognise what they’re doing and support them as well as the Ukrainians. The men staying behind to fight are, in a way, fighting for all of us because we can’t get directly involved ourselves. It’s the women and children that are mostly escaping.

BP: What advice would you give NATO about its approach to Ukraine right now?

AH: NATO needs to be clear and practical. We cannot get into a direct fight with Russia, but we can and should get Ukraine the support, the ammunition and the air defence systems they need as fast as possible. Poland and the other frontline countries are already doing the hard work on the ground. The alliance should back them properly and make sure the flow of equipment is sent. The Ukrainians have shown they will fight if they have the means. Our job is to give them those means without overreaching and turning this into something bigger.