I am glad the PM and President Macron have been forced to agree with my view. There is no peace agreement to keep in Ukraine. If Russia does agree a general ceasefire or peace they will not agree to UK and French troops stationed along the Russian border to enforce it. The idea of some NATO countries without US backing doing this was always a non starter.
I am now alarmed that the PM and the President of France now think they can form a coalition of forces to offer a security guarantee to Ukraine. As members of NATO with full US backing under Biden both countries rightly declined to offer a NATO guarantee to war torn Ukraine. So how come they now think the UK and France could do this without access to US back up , weaponry and intelligence?
Russia has maybe 1 million troops in or near Ukraine. Ukraine has 800,000 defending their land. How could say 20,000 Anglo French troops be a credible force to deter further Russian aggression ? Why run the risk of Russia testing out the inadequate force? If the UK and France are serious about fighting a war against Russia if Russia invades more of Ukraine then when will they mobilise and supply significant armies that could defeat the Russian hordes? Both countries would need to be put on a major war footing and would need to recruit large armies to drive Russia out of Ukraine.
March 28, 2025
Knowing that there is not much to back the talk, is it mere posturing to distract from domestic disaster or to placate Trump.8
March 28, 2025
Yes, I think there’s a lot of ‘distraction’ tactics going on, here and in the US. Keith couldn’t wait to get out of town to avoid the Reeves fallout. One aspect I think in play is the Trump Tariff action; he’s using Tariffs as a lever of foreign policy, I think we are subject to them because of Keith’s attempts to support independent Ukraine (laudable) rather then leaving the issue to Trump to conclude a ‘turf deal’ with the dictator. He hates the EU so they were always going to suffer.
Is there any hope for Keith and Macron – possibly, if they can become the ‘force multiplier’ by flowing enough weapons to the Ukraine forces as and when needed, of a suitable, advanced standard.
March 28, 2025
There is not a snowball’s hope in hell of France and the U.K. driving Russia anywhere, even if fully mobilised (what does the mean when they have no money, no reason to fight and no supporting nation). The British MOD has said so publicly!
The MOD are happy to take and absorb more money of course, but like the rest of the ‘civil service’ and state employees, the idea of them doing anything, especially the impossible, for the money is ludicrous.
March 28, 2025
Starmer is a former Totskyite and remains a hard Left Socialist. His profession is hunam rights as a lawyer foinding ways round the law. He has no understanding of military strategy. He seems to think that increaing the defence budget – without any idea on what it should be spent and still lower than Germany’s, which surpassed UK’s last year and is still rising – is sufficent deterrent. He would not even have increased defence spending had the Hill Billioes from the US not told him to do so. The so -called coalition of the willing is a silly term in thius context, a legalistic wheeze introduced for this monitoring force, in order to avoid calling it a NATO force. That may appeal to his legal mind but it doesn’t fool anyone else, least of all Putin. Does the clown not realise that when Putin says ‘no NATO troops’ he refers to troops of any of the member states of NATO, not troops under NATO operational command and conrol? The difference is not something which can be debated and decided in court but a highly significant difference in practical, military and political terms, the response to which is in the gift of Putin alone.
In any case, the capability avaiable to be deployed to Ukraine would be little more than a sacrificial monitor or sentry.
Meanwhile across the Atlantic, Americans are increasingly contemptuous and resentful of EU and UK grandstanding on Ukraine while knowing they do not have the military strength to stand on their own and yet presuming they can just whistle up military back up from the US and making clear they believe the US would have no justification for refusing to give it. By what right do the EU and UK expect the US to back them up?
The US is the only military power capable of reaching a peace settlement with Russia over Ukraine. Neither the EU nor UK can even rustle up a diplomat or politician with the necessary understanding, capacity and who commands the necessaryrespect of all sides. None. Zilch. Furthermore the right to settle it rests with the US because the Russian threat is related to that of China, North Korea and the BRICS countries, faced by the US, not Europe. The US is right to claim leadership on Ukraine. Europe should learn some humility and simply ask how it can support the US.
March 28, 2025
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picket_(military)
“A picket (archaically, picquet [variant form piquet]) is a soldier, or small unit of soldiers, placed on a defensive line forward of a friendly position to provide timely warning and screening against an enemy advance. It can also refer to any unit (e.g. a scout vehicle, surveillance aircraft or patrol ship) performing a similar function. A picket guarding a fixed position may be known as a sentry or guard.”
Alternatively, “It will never get better if you pick it” has often proved to be wise advice.
March 28, 2025
An excellent summary of the situation, Peter. Few will forget the Iraqi war that Blair took us into, resulting in Iraq becoming a wasteland but at least he did it with the full support of the USA.
Starmer clearly hasn’t got a clue about the potentially disastrous outcome of what he is proposing with other EU leaders, who seem equally ignorant in such matters.
Regardless of the fact that Russia under Putin is now militarily much weaker than it was, particularly in the loss of so many tanks and armoured fighting vehicles, what is being proposed by our Prime Minister is an unachievable solution to the current Ukraine/ Russia situation.
March 28, 2025
Zelensky repeatedly says he is not prepared to make any compromise for a ceasefire. He wants fighting men from Europe. This is this mornings diatribe:
‘ They are dinosaurs. You see, they just want to eat us You can’t just go: listen, let’s talk. I have nothing to talk about with him [Putin],” he said at a press conference.’
March 28, 2025
They have been encouraged in that attitude by the EU and, at least until recently, the US. There was a woman on Channel 4 News setting out her demands of what we should do, and as I heard it Kiev expects us to support them until the Russians have been expelled from all parts of the Ukraine as it was constituted as one of the 15 Soviet Socialist Republics at the end of the Soviet Union. As that will never happen the war would go on for ever.
March 28, 2025
It’s perfectly possible if Russia (and the USA) simply honour the agreements that they both previously willingly signed up to.
The fact that it seems likely that neither seems willing to do so speaks volumes about the current leadership of both.
March 28, 2025
Why doesn’t Putin just go home and help raise the standard of living of fellow Russias so we in the UK can have an excellent trading party to trade with in the future?
Why complicate things. Keep things simple.
March 28, 2025
Utter madness.
Once again, here are the animated scenes of the 1968 film “The Charge of the Light brigade”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGw5DKX6U6w&t=589s
Just replace “Poor little Turkey!” with “Poor little Ukraine!”.
“War! War! War!”
March 28, 2025
There is obviously more than an agenda of giving empty “security guarantees” to Ukraine here.
Starmer and Macron are enjoying some grandstanding, but what are those pulling their strings up to? I mean the EU. The Spanish PM called for an EU army (“under one flag”) this week. Brussels’ vassal nations are collectively and independently taking on huge new debts for “defence”, when any invasion threat from Russia is negligible.
The “defence” will effectively be cracking down on democracy within the EU in order to consolidate centralised power. More Romania-type operations, (denying the popular vote), persecution and banning of popular Parties (as in Germany), restrictions on free speech etc.
It’s the coalition of globalist totalitarians that we are seeing, making their post-Covid move.
March 28, 2025
Neither Starmer nor Macron take any enjoyment from this. Both would rather funds didn’t have to be diverted to defence.
If you extend the definition, the UK suffers invasion from Russia on a daily basis in cyber warfare. Physically they also habitually send bombers round our coasts to test our defences.
March 28, 2025
The west has been interfering in the Russian Federation’s internal affairs since 1991-it used to openly boast about it(in the Yeltsin period).Not to mention attempts to foment colour revolutions in Belarus,Georgia ,Kazhakstan and other states on Russia’s borders.NATO also flies frequent sorties close to Russian airspace.
March 28, 2025
But they are all totalitarians. Trump. Putin. Socialist EU bureaucrats. Musk. McDonald’s. Stand for something instead of just standing against something. Stand for how to improve our UK economy and culture.
March 28, 2025
I share in full your alarm at the notion of the U.K. offering a security guarantee to Ukraine.
Pehaps just as President Putin has saved us from supplying troops as peacekeeping hostages, so President Zelenskyy will save us by spurning any such guarantee. What a disgrace it is that we have to rely upon foreign leaders to thwart the dangerous initiatives of our own.
March 29, 2025
We have already given Ukraine a ‘security guarantee’.
Did you not know?
March 29, 2025
Yes, the one Major conceded you mean? Let us hope it is a case of once bitten twice shy all round.
March 28, 2025
Not altogether off topic, while our politicians “fix” the foundations of our economy in their own way, by shutting the last of the UK’s blast furnaces so that we will no longer be able to smelt iron to make steel, still essential for military as well as civil purposes, and while the EU gears up for war, with Germany to the fore, this article:
https://euobserver.com/green-economy/arcd2963b1
worries that:
“Within the EU, there are still 47 coal-fired blast furnace-based steel plants in operation, resulting in around 133 million tonnes of CO2 per year, the majority of which comes from the coal used in blast furnaces to produce virgin iron”,
and
“Policymakers now face a clear choice: enable a bold, managed phase-out of all 47 coal-fired blast furnaces, or risk falling short of Europe’s climate commitments.”
So they may have to decide whether protection of the global climate or defence of the EU takes priority.
In a strange way this is coming full circle as the federal European project started with the creation of a High Authority to control the production of coal and steel and stop them fighting each other again:
https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/history-eu/1945-59/schuman-declaration-may-1950_en
“The pooling of coal and steel production should immediately provide for the setting up of common foundations for economic development as a first step in the federation of Europe”
“By pooling basic production and by instituting a new High Authority, whose decisions will bind France, Germany and other member countries, this proposal will lead to the realization of the first concrete foundation of a European federation indispensable to the preservation of peace.”
March 28, 2025
Indeed. Closing blast furnaces down just exports jobs and their CO2 production with it. Probably even increasing it with more transport energy needed.
Plus CO2 is plant, crop and tree food anyway. A bit more is actually a net good there is no climate emergency caused by CO2!
March 28, 2025
@Dennis Cooper. The German incoming coalition has just agreed to amend the constitution to include the goal of “climate neutrality” by 2045. Those blast furnaces won’t be in Germany.
March 28, 2025
As predicted, the war criminal Putin has placed numerous red lines and conditions to justify refusing to agree the Trump ceasefire plan, including the much hyped maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea. Here, the Kremlin is demanding the lifting of banking sanctions before any cessation of hostilities. Putin is trying it on, because Ukraine has sunk 28 warships and boats and a submarine including the once-flagship of their Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva. The remaining Russian” fleet” has now been withdrawn east of Crimea, out of range of the British Storm Shadow missiles that have proved to be so effective.
However, as of the time of writing, both sides do appear to have refrained from attacking each other’s energy infrastructure. There have been no reported attacks for three days.
In January the open-source investigative project Oryx has visually confirmed 3,673 Russian tank losses – mostly the Soviet-era T-80 – 20,545 armoured fighting vehicles, 22,309 artillery systems, 1,263 multiple launch rocket systems and 1,050 anti-aircraft warfare systems. The skies have also been costly for Russia, with Ukrainian defenders credited with bringing down a confirmed 369 planes and 331 helicopters since the start of the war. Russia is close to being beat in the field.
Last week the British Ministry of Defence reported that the Russians have suffered over 900,000 casualties, including “at least” 215,000 killed.
Putin is terrified of another Ukraine breakthrough and a Ukrainian drive on Moscow. 3000 replacement N Korean conscripts have just been despatched behind the front lines near Kursk, these are “blocking” troops to prevent the Russian conscript army from retreating without orders.
March 28, 2025
SG. “A Ukranian drive to Moscow”? The odds of that are longer than that of the Cubans taking Washington.
March 28, 2025
And yet Russia can still supply Iran with Sukhoi SU-35 jets,as announced in January.
March 28, 2025
Mr Cold you are more sound on the Green Scam. Stick to that.
March 28, 2025
My impression is that there is no possibility of a peace deal now because the positions of Russia and Ukraine are poles apart. So far Trump’s negotiations with Russia appear to be as much about resetting US-Russia as it is with a peace agreement. Ukraine’s future is a pawn in this process. That was the recent opinion of a former Trump appointed ambassador in Europe. It is a tacit admission that the US must live in a multi polar world. Small and mid power countries, like the Baltics, UK, France and the rest are left on the sidelines in these negotiations. If they want a voice they must combine to make it heard. They need to make it heard because they have an interest in the outcome.
Interestingly that opinion on it’s need to make common cause with neighbours and other small and mid sized powers was also made recently by Singapore’s foreign minister when restating Singapore’s foreign policy in the light of the emerging realignment of big power competition. It also seems likely that doubts about the USA’s commitment to Article 5 will encourage nuclear proliferation among those countries with the technical capability to produce such weapons. Just another consequence to add to tariffs wars.
March 28, 2025
Exactly.
The usually sensible Lord Frost praised Kemi on her net zero speech in a new podcast with Nick Dixon. Kemi basically said she is for net zero but just slightly more slowly than mad zealot Miliband (essentially the Sunak position). Mel Stride thinks Net Zero is in the Tory DNA since Thatcher (when she fell for the scam).
For me to vote Tory again they would have to promise to ditch net zero, control immigration levels, cut the size of the state, cut taxes and cut red tape AND for me to actually trust these promises. We might get the first when they eventually get real but how would I ever trust them after their 14 years of blatant fraud and lies.
They currently still believe in the mad net zero religion and have not even promised these things. Kemi the computer systems “engineer” has duff A levels and no physics but surely even she should be able to see that net zero is a mad scam and the other policies are needed for any economic growth. Hopefully, sensible physicists like William Happer etc, will eventually convince people it is a vastly exaggerated scam and ditch the damaging lunacy but a long way to go it seems.
March 28, 2025
Angela Rayner is facing embarrassment as civil servants in her department consider going on strike. It seems they are not keen on doing as much as three days in the office and would like to work only four days in total too. But then do they actually produce anything of positive value anyway under Raynor’s command?
March 28, 2025
Going on strike? Who would notice? The union(s) might prefer to just threaten, since actually doing it raises fresh opportunity to scythe through staffing levels.
March 28, 2025
“Ms Reeves has proved she will do nothing to trigger growth in Britain” John Redwood.
It is rather worse than this, Reeves, Starmer and Miliband are doing everything they can to kill any prospect to growth. More tax & NI, more red tape, more worker “rights”, fewer employers rights. ever more expensive & low skilled migrants to carry, make not working pay and very expensive and unreliable energy with the Net Zero lunacy. A doom loop agenda of let’s strangle, deter and export the golden geese. Best all leave, go on benefits, go black market or “work” for the state – this seems to be her grand plan. Should go well!
March 28, 2025
@Lifelogic – ‘NetZero’ netzero industry, netzero economy, netzero future. The only thing growing is World emissions, the UK’s energy prices and its criminal population
Kimi and her team as part of the collective responsible cabinet opened this door, did nothing but enhance NetZero laws and thinking. In fact refused to adjust the direction of evermore punishment on the UK People even though the evidence for it being such a silly personal idea was laid bare. That team had the option to change everything – yet refused.
Not one asked why is it all the UK’s competitor Nations are not following the UK.
March 28, 2025
Indeed, the country will not even be able to defend itself with net zero and all the industry closures!
March 28, 2025
They’re not being serious. They’re posturing; preparing the ground for a European Army (not to be called that, of course) and attempting to generate a feeling of unity and control their own populations by ramping up fear of the Big Bad Putin.
Two-Tier and the British Establishment see it as a way of dragging us further back under the control of Brussels.
March 28, 2025
@Donna. +1. Succinctly said.
March 28, 2025
You make very good points but it is clear US is not going to support Ukraine
If Russia attacks French and UK forces will NATO and US not be forced to intervene ?
I don’t see Putin with the current state of his army and finances being willing to widen this war
The biggest problem for the free world is understanding the mindset of Trump whose utterances become more puzzling daily
March 28, 2025
Donald Trump probably regards the Russia/Ukraine conflict as a local matter in a distant land. It can endanger Europe, but the US has a massive buffer zone of vast Ocean in its first line of defence, and rightly regards Europeans as needing to be more self-protective rather than parasites of defence at US expense.
March 28, 2025
@Lorna Ainsworth – I am not so sure we should be second guessing the US or Trump after decades of the EU abusing and fleecing the US, ducking the issue prevaricating, the real feeling is they(the US) have said enough is enough.
Today’s situation was high on the list last time Trump was in power, the EU did nothing, wanted to talk but not do. So a ‘Bull in the China’ shop might just focus minds.
The US Citizen is not against Europe indeed most have historical connections, it is the Protectionist EU that is against the World
March 28, 2025
@Lorna Ainsworth. From the NATO treaty:
Article 5
The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, EACH OF THEM, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, WILL ASSIST the Party or Parties so attacked BY TAKING forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, SUCH ACTION AS IT DEEMS NECESSARY, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.
I.e. no member state is “forced” to intervene. It can do nothing, or do anything from sending a box of bandages to launching nuclear weapons. Its response is wholly for it to decide.
The biggest threat for the free world is not Trump. It’s from our own governments.
March 28, 2025
Exactly.
March 28, 2025
Not just the ‘free world’ the whole world, his own advisers, his voters, must wonder what they have unleashed a second time.
March 28, 2025
Everyone with an acquaintance of the facts is very happy with Witkoff and Trump. Ban Def Leyen is going to find the EU is sanctioned by the whole world (BRICS; the USA and the English speaking world) if she continues swaggering around in ever more incoherent circles.
March 29, 2025
Perhaps with your knowledge of the facts you should provide a blog of your own and free up space on Sir John’s ?
March 28, 2025
So Russia (Putin) does not want to agree either a ceasefire or NATO forces on its border in Ukraine (it already has NATO forces on its Finnish, Lithuanian and other borders)
Tough, we should send British, French and NATO forces in anyhow to patrol at least the Western side of the Dnieper River and make the West of the Dnieper River into a no-fly zone for Russian forces. Then they will have to rethink their position.
Reply The US who provide the big majority of the forces of NATO will not do this
March 28, 2025
The U.S. (Trump) will not be best pleased by Putin’s failure to agree a ceasefire, so may do this. Furthermore I deliberately chose a river border as wide rivers are much easier to defend than land borders.
March 28, 2025
NATO have been beaten via their proxy already Geoffrey, you think they should step up and be beaten in person too?
March 28, 2025
yet 20 mile wide Channels are impossible to defend.
March 29, 2025
20 mile wide channels are easy to defend if you are going to sink (with drones and missiles) all incoming ships with invaders – it only becomes difficult if you are not willing to kill them.
March 28, 2025
Of course Russia will not agree to a ceasefire on the EU’s terms. It has announced that British and other NATO forces opposing Russia, e.g. in the way you suggest, will be treated as enemy combatants. Who do you want to put in harm’s way, Geoffrey, and how many bodybags do you think the MoD should reckon on providing?
March 28, 2025
Why are politicians trying to involve us in a foreign war?
March 28, 2025
Comment from Stefan Demetz,author of ‘Sovereign Economic Model’, on X:
“Middlemen made 10-20% from Russia’s commodities trade:traders(like Vitol,Trafigura,etc),banks,stock markets,re-insurance,shipping cos.That is gone now!”
To which former US central banker,Kathleen Tyson,replies:
“Little appreciated,the sidelining of these rentier commodities dealers is one of the most important long term outcomes of the SMO for re-structuring the global economy.”
Spot on!Do you all realise how important these parasitic ‘services’ are to the UK economy in particular?
March 28, 2025
Vladimir Putin is not going to agree to a ceasefire, he thinks he can win so will continue.
Either back Ukraine with jets, missiles and drones or give him the territory.
There is no need for a coalition as there will not be peace until one of the sides is beaten.
March 28, 2025
Correct.Go big or go home!
Moreover,Russia can outproduce you-and has superior military technology in many areas.
March 28, 2025
Good morning.
I am going to be a cynic here and say that, I believe they offered something knowing that it will be refused.
Trying to save Ukraine from its own historic follies is like us and Poland in 1939 only worse. At least back then we had an Army and a Navy of note.
March 29, 2025
The Russians don’t need an agreement. They can just go on and win. They are thinking of how to get an authorised person to sign the Surrender. It has to be a UN interim government which oversees elections in Ukraine. Then that new elected government can sign an Unconditional Surrender.
March 28, 2025
The UK defence troop presence Starmer offered Ukraine was to prevent them from Russian combat and ‘gurantee’ peace. If UK forces are supposed to defend Ukraine internally, only combat would stop an attack. Combat with Russia creates war between Russia and the UK, extending the localised war UK troops are supposed to avoid. Adding France just inflates and complicates the muddle further.
March 28, 2025
Not for long. Russia will just steamroller over the additional U.K. and French troops. It has been publicly admitted by Zelensky that all their missiles are fired by the NATO donor countries. Ukraine has no ability to aim and fire.
I will find the film and post the link if JR allows and you want to see it.
March 29, 2025
Proof of truth allows better understanding.
March 28, 2025
It was only ever ‘Grandstanding’ by those absent and in neglect of the duties or the responsibilities they were empowered and paid to do.
March 28, 2025
But both Starmer and Macron have high opinions of themselves and want to be recognised on the world stage.
Starmer was on TV earlier this week and you could just imagine him thinking ‘here I am as a respected world-class statesman and all they do is ask me about b****y potholes’.
March 28, 2025
The images of Starmer and Macron embracing and patting each other was frankly nauseating. Both are putting on a false show of strength and unity yet neither can control their own borders! There is zero possibility of British and French troops patrolling anywhere in Ukraine. This avoidable conflict began because Russia objects to Ukraine being a member of NATO, indeed they see this as an existential threat to their security. Why doesn’t Starmer and Macron understand this?
March 28, 2025
Even JR does not understand this. Why do they just want a ceasefire? Why not a solution to the war as Putin suggests?
March 28, 2025
NATO has no obligation to the Ukraine. The war in the Ukraine is not a NATO Country being attached.
The EU army, or even the UN with agreement from all parties could if their personal ego keeps getting the better of them get involved.
It is not a UK problem, people forget so easily we can’t or wont defend our borders against unarmed marauding criminals
March 28, 2025
As we look at the theatrics of the alleged ‘willing’ and their fanciful ideas backed up by wishful thinking we hear that Nicola Sturgeon has also taken to the stage, and we all know what the Ukraine president was doing in his last job.
Are our current and prospective leaders all comedians or are they really serious about life and death decisions they make so easily? Why can’t they make peace like real leaders?
Without any conscience our PM would commit God knows how many British troops to the killing fields, and it’s only international rules that are stopping him in his tracks.
Being a globalist and proud of his international lawyer status, it must really gall him that he has failed to use existing treaties and agreements to his own advantage.
March 28, 2025
Putin is a better lawyer than Starmer. Putin suggests a UN force to replace the existing illegal government of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian constitution gets the President elected and he appoints everyone else, there is no provision to suspend election for the President during war. Putin want. Duly elected Government with whom to negotiate else any agreement is not worth the paper it’s written on.
Do you disagree JR?
March 28, 2025
Off topic but topical, 44 years after the eurocrats took control of our time that is not mentioned in this article:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/britain-british-summer-time-greenwich-mean-time-government-northern-ireland-b1219333.html
“Minister rejects call for Britain to adopt ‘Churchill Time’ in the summer”
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/seasonal-time-changes/
“The EU first legislated on summer-time arrangements in 1980”
March 28, 2025
I think it was general Schwarzkopf who said.
“Going to war without France is like going hunting without an accordion”….
March 28, 2025
March 28, 2025
I never knew he had such wit and humour.
March 28, 2025
Sir John
“I am now alarmed that the PM and the President of France now think they can form a coalition of forces to offer a security guarantee to Ukraine.”
Are they? or is that just a pretense for another agenda. TTK has unashamedly shown he wants the UK back under control of the unelected unaccountable EU. For many reasons and today it is because he is absent and failing the Country and its People. Macron on the other hand wants more control of the UK, he needs the UK to be beholden to him. He is failing at home and wants to steal more of the UK’s recourses ‘fish’ so as to bolster his personal self-esteem – just personal.
We have 2 characters that are anti one and other, their people and their countries, failing in their duties and job seeking an personal ego trip
March 28, 2025
These two small European leaders have currently popularity ratings at around 25%. Starmer, the ex editor of a Trotskyist magazine and human rights lawyer, was elected with 25% of the national vote and his economic policy is up the creek. France is also in debt and taxed to the eyeballs.
How strange that these two suddenly become the leaders of military action against the Russians and their bogey man and are trying to form a coalition of fools which will undermine Trump’s negotiations for an end to a war which has killed and injured millions of real soldiers.
With its missiles and drones, if it came to a fight, Russians could cut British energy and communications and sink both of our sitting duck aircraft carriers in a week. We had better hope that Trump and Putin come to a deal soon despite these fools playing for popularity.
March 28, 2025
The re-election of President Trump has been good for the US, but it was always the case that it would be a disaster for Ukraine.
Europe has allowed its military and willpower to act to fall so far behind that Putin can effectively behave as he likes. Britain, as well as the whole of the EU, including France, could not assemble a military force that could hold the line against Putin for more than a week. There are not enough aircraft, tanks, soldiers or ammunition to last longer than that.
Sadly, without strong support from the US, Ukrainian territory cannot be defended. In the unlikely event that we were able to push Putin back, he will just use a few of his thousands of battlefield Nukes to take out our forces on the ground. Other than the US, France is the only country in NATO that has a few of these, we have none.
The threat to use them would be enough for Putin to win.
March 28, 2025
Hardly a disaster for Ukraine – a disaster perhaps for Ukraine President and the US deep state. The killing fields have not been worse than they were before, but if Trump gets his way there will be a real sustainable peace in Ukraine, and that will benefit us all.
With peace our warmongering leaders will have no excuse to attack Russia, so WW3 is at least delayed while they manipulate other conflicts to get their desired end!
March 28, 2025
They don’t need to use nukes,the new Oreshnik missile produces the same devastating impact as a tactical nuke.
March 29, 2025
And the drone on which it is carried looks like a flying version of the E-type. It’s actually beautiful – and of course , huge.
March 28, 2025
Stopping the war in Ukraine is very good for Ukraine.
Trump is good for us all part from the Globalists who are dead in the water.
March 28, 2025
One has to ask why does the Prime Minster want to get the UK involved in Ukraine?
In what why does it stop the “Russian hordes” ( not a very respectful view of the Russian people) invading the UK? It can’t be just to stop Competition from Gazprom supplying cheaper Gas than the US to the UK.
If one can get around Ofcom banning RT one can read that Putin is warm to the idea of UN peace keepers in Ukraine.
The majority of UK and European Politicians don’t have any respect for Russia and that is part of the problem.
They are only Democratic if their view is supported, which normally is not the view of the average citizen.
The parts of the Ukraine which Russia has invaded are populated by ethnic Russians. Our politicians know the background to this Civil War. But it does not suit their playbook about Russia. The people in Donbass and Crimea voted to be aligned with Russia. But that’s a Democratic vote that is not acceptable to the EU.
Not unlike the Democratic vote to to leave the EU which to this day the Political Class do not accept and do their best to re-join the EU. Perhaps a war with Russia will help the PM get us back in the EU?
March 28, 2025
+1 spot on.
March 28, 2025
But the UK and France could provide air cover . This would have a much more important effect than a few thousand boots on the ground.
March 28, 2025
@ Robert Thomas – and what please is “air cover” supposed to achieve exactly in this context of some sort of peace deal in Ukraine and in what ways is its effect more important than ground troops?
March 28, 2025
Air cover, yes it would… until it got shot down. Remember any British-French forces in Ukraine would not be covered by NATO article 5. Trump has spelt that out very clearly.
March 28, 2025
Our aircraft will be shot out the skies and the runways in Poland will be attacked and destroyed too. Why do you want Britain BEATEN?
March 28, 2025
It may be simplistic but one wonders whether the ‘Coalition’ might reasonably suspend access to the Baltic ocean to Russia, containing those vessels currently within, and refusing passage to the North sea/English channel of any heading in , on the grounds of defending critical infrastructure while Russia maintains its illegal occupation of Ukraine.
March 28, 2025
Simplistic indeed.That would be an act of war and would be treated as such by Russia.
March 28, 2025
How long do you think they could manage that for? 24 hours?
March 28, 2025
Starmer could offer up to Ukraine all the fit young people of fighting age who have entered the UK illegally. After all, their journey will have toughened them up. They could be given Ukraine citizenship to replace their lost paperwork as part of the deal. If Ukraine wants our help, they will have to take them.
March 28, 2025
I cannot see freeloaders Starmer leading from the front. He is ” all talk and trousers ” as they say. So when the showboating stops and ” when the going gets tough, the tough get going” but not necessarily in the right direction….
March 28, 2025
The PM exposes his limitations with every passing day. He has no military experience or background and knows nothing about the logistics of keeping an armed force supplied in a war situation. Since the PM can’t even control the UK border, as immigrants pour in, legal and illegal, he is in cloud cuckoo land to think he can supply any kind of peacekeeping force for Ukraine.
The PM, Reeves & Miliband, will destroy the UK economy and bankrupt us. If none of them have the intelligence to research the Net Zero scam, discovering CO2 is no problem, what chance of sensible decisions for the UK economy? The potential closure of our last blast furnaces, so we can no longer make virgin steel, tells you what idiots they all are.
March 28, 2025
We have passed the point of trying to reason with the US and Russia about Ukraine so the European powers are preparing for whatever comes after. The European people same as the European governments will defend themselves they are not stupid.
March 29, 2025
Seems they are stupid if they think anybody is interested in defeating poor, occupied, lost, energy poor Europe.
March 28, 2025
Once again a British government is getting involved in a foreign conflict where there is no British interest. If the Kiev regime wishes to hold on to all the territory that was incorporated by the Bolsheviks into Ukraine plus that gifted it by Khrushchev despite the objections of those living in those Oblasts, there is absolutely no reason why we should be involved. In 2014, after a failed attempt in 2007, a successful coup succeeded through violence to overthrow a democratically elected government of Ukraine. The situation now is that after all the killing, there is no possibility of Ukraine ever being reconstituted as the state that existed after the collapse of the Soviet Union so why are some pigmy politicians in the West prepared to continue to use our money and now the possibility of our forces to support the Kiev regime and its claim over all the territory which had been incorporated into it without a single popular vote by claiming without evidence that Russia wants to incorporate the whole of Ukraine in a reconstitution of the Soviet Union?
March 28, 2025
236 criminals arrived in the UK yesterday; from the safe country of France …and not one criminal asserted under the illegal immigration act 2023
March 28, 2025
As my last letter in the Maidenhead Advertiser provoked some criticism I have sent this riposte:
“In November 1998 the Russian Ambassador in London told the Commons Defence committee:
“Today it is an established fact … that Russia and the NATO no longer regard each other as adversaries. This is turn has reduced to practically zero the probability of large-scale military conflicts in Europe. Moreover, a partnership in maintaining peace and security on the continent has begun to take shape.”
However he added a warning:
“Especially sensitive is the idea of admission to the alliance of former Soviet republics, in the first place the Baltic States. It is an open secret that if anyone of these states is enticed into the NATO we shall have to reconsider our relations with the alliance.”
(Google for “Statement submitted by the Russian Ambassador on relations between Russia and NATO”.)
Regardless of that clear signal the Baltics were admitted to NATO and then to the EU in 2004; in 2008 NATO membership was offered to Ukraine and Georgia; and in 2013 the EU’s first Foreign Minister, Catherine Ashton, issued a statement supporting anti-Russian protesters in Kiev – taking a side in what was an internal conflict.
It was always a foolish and dangerous idea that Russia under a strong leader like Putin would stand idly by and not react in any way when the NATO-backed EU was openly setting out plans for a southern encirclement, not just around the Black Sea but around the Caspian Sea and as far as the Urals, deep into its national territory.”
March 28, 2025
The only sensible approach to this question is to devise a solution that would have something to offer for both sides, and then work back from there as to how that agreement can be arrived at. In my view, the solution would have to involve massive economic benefits for Ukraine, to accept a compromise solution, and for Russia to get no more than the regions it currently occupies, plus the restoration to Ukraine’s constitution of a neutrality requirement.
The Trump administration is offering large-scale new investment in Ukraine, which the US would not want to lose through additional Russian conquests. That in itself offers some security to Ukraine in future. Russia in turn will take years to restore normal life in the war-torn regions it has taken. After much larger losses than it originally expected, it will not want to face the prospect of continued conflict if peace and its own security can be established in the region. I am quite sure that applies to most Ukrainians.
Our politicians really must start thinking of what kind of peace is achievable, not how the war can be prolonged yet further, till Ukraine capitulates. Everything would then be decided on Russia’s terms.
March 29, 2025
Peace treaties have been agreed and signed by the Ukrainian and Russian negotiators.
They included agreement about demilitarisation of Ukraine, de-Nazification of Ukraine (they have a holiday each year to celebrate Stepan Bandeira – look him up) and the new border.
Russia have now expended more treasure and blood so they want that agreement +; however Zelensky has refused to concede anything and is shelling Russian energy infrastructure breaking the ceasefire on that.
Russia repulsed 1,160 fixed wing drones of the AFU in the past week, over undisputed Russian territory.
March 29, 2025
Nothing has been signed as of today 29/03/2025.
March 28, 2025
The in words now appears to be – at pace and resilience we and Europe have neither. Russia however can fall back on China and N Korea. Before our politicians get too carried away strutting the global stage perhaps they should shop trying to out do each other with gung-ho rhetoric and calm down. USA supposedly were going to stop this war in 24 hours – lets see them do it.
March 29, 2025
The minute they stop giving Intel, it’s over. They can do it overnight. Trump should do it but he’s trying to get something for defeated Ukraine.
March 29, 2025
Yeah
At Pace, Lean Into, Pragmatic Glorious
words used by dimbos.
March 28, 2025
The only explanation I can think of for this utter folly is that they think they can bounce the US into fighting this war for them. The more absurd they are, and the ruder they get to the Americans, the more they seem to think they can pull this off – just like Zelensky.
March 29, 2025
What is one of President Trump’s worst nightmares: BUREAUCRACY (and I’m with him here). But you do NOT ultimately destroy the cancer of bureaucracy through politics but ultimately through culture. Bureaucracy is a cultural mindset. People fall into bureaucracy because they lack imagination / lack work ethic. So it’s ultimately about changing cultural values. Only this will impact the country long-term.
Musk is partially successful because he hires effective people. But there are only so many effective people. Not an endless supply of. In order for President Trump to find the people to make government more effective he needs to FIND THE PEOPLE. Change in system is NOT enough. You have to ‘BREED’ MORE PEOPLE TO BE EFFECTIVE. But he’s not doing that. He’s failing to change the overall cultural mindset. And so any successes he has will be short-term (along with lots of failures and damaging the USA’s reputation).
And this is a challenge for capitalism, too. It requires effective people. But effectiveness also includes things like work ethic / patriotism. If it is just, alone, based on desire for money then people will quickly end up destroying each other and the system like rats destroying a house.
March 29, 2025
“Where ignorant armies clash by night”. I bet you read On Dover Beach by M Arnold at school.
Still applicable today unfortunately!