I agree with many western politicians that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was wrong. I agree Russia compounded the outrage by persistent attacks on civilians and on unacceptable targets like hospitals, nuclear power stations and blocks of flats.
The western politicians who say they do not want a compromise peace now want Ukraine to fight on. Doing so without the EU is very unlikely to lead to an unconditional Russian surrender or all Russian forces leaving Ukraine. Ukraine has done a brave job restraining more powerful forces for 3 years but lacks the resource to evict the Russians. The only way for European politicians to right the moral outrage they condemn would be Russian surrender and the replacement of Putin as Russian leader. I do not see Europe having a combination of the forces and resolve to force this.
NATO could defeat Russia, but only at considerable cost and by taking a large risk. I support the many politicians, led by President Biden and now President Trump, who have kept NATO military forces out of the conflict. Russia would not decide to keep the war narrowly focussed on long suffering Ukraine. People,military assets and buildings of any NATO state could be brought into the war.
It is possible Ukraine, the EU and UK decide in the end that a compromise peace now is the least bad option. Ukraine will ask for security guarantees. The EU might be willing to grant some. When the UK considers its position it needs to realistic in what it offers. Having overstretched 73,000 soldiers for all our world roles does not leave any spare to stop a 1.1 million Russian army breaking a peace treaty 1500 miles away.
August 18, 2025
So you think the Russians, who were occupying the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, were bombing themselves? The nuclear inspectors were admitted to the plant by the Russians, it says so in their various reports at the time of the bombing.
Stick to political economy.
Reply Russia fought to gain control of the plant
August 18, 2025
You’re an anti-patriot in your pro Putin comments.
Don’t forget the threat of Soviet Union to our country from the 1950’s to 1980’s. Putin is more of a geopolitical threat than any of those Soviet leaders except Stalin.
I find your comments, at best, in poor taste to say the least.
If you want to be a British patriot, then you need to at least acknowledge that Putin is a geopolitical threat to the UK.
August 18, 2025
Not sure if your comment is directed at Lynn or John McD
You are free to have your opinion of Putin and what he may or may not do to the UK.
Just because others have a different opinion does not indicate they are not a British patriot.
In fact were have we heard “if you don’t agree with me you are an enemy of the state”
Suggest you look at the current political system in Ukraine, not far removed from your view of Russia and Putin.
They have both developed from the USSR a totalitarian system. A minor point perhaps. There is freedom of religion in Russia not so in Ukraine.
August 18, 2025
I see reports from Christian missionaries in Ukraine. None from Russia. The Kremlin detests freedom of any kind in Russia.
August 18, 2025
There are plenty of Christians in Russia reporting.
Give me the link to Christians in Ukraine.
August 18, 2025
This time last year the Pope raised concerns about religious freedoms in Ukraine – National Catholic Reporter
August 19, 2025
@Lynn,
Russian Orthodox are fully allowed to receive (and vice-versa) the Sacraments from non-Russian Orthodox churches.
The Sacraments are the most important part of what it means to be Russian Orthodox (or any Orthodox).
So, yes, Zelensky has imposed restraints on Russian Orthodox it is purely political in motivation and to prevent spies from working within the Russian Orthodox Church.
He has put NO restrictions on Russian Orthodox receiving the Sacraments from other Orthodox.
So context is everything (in an ideal world, he wouldn’t have to do this but he’s been forced into a corner). So you’re exaggerating and without showing any empathy towards Zelensky’s position.
(It would be like Zelensky making restrictions on Eastern Catholicism in Ukraine but not on Western Catholicism – when there is no difference sacramentally between the two).
August 18, 2025
‘There is freedom of religion in Russia not so in Ukraine’
– I’ve been to Ukraine. I experienced ZERO lack of freedom of religion in Ukraine.
Whatever the case in Russia or not, the main point is that Putin is a geopolitical threat to the UK (worse than the Soviet Union to the UK from the 1950’s to 1980’s).
August 18, 2025
When were you in Ukraine? Recently? Because it is Zelensky who has recently attacked and destroyed their ancient Orthodox Christian religious structure.
August 19, 2025
@Lynn,
You’re talking nonsense about Zelensky and religion.
He’s attacking spies inside the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. He’s not attacking the religion itself (millions of his soldiers are devoutly religious).
Putin’s forces, meanwhile, have destroyed many religious sites in Ukraine in an illegal war – both morally and in secular sense – and Putin a geopolitical threat to the UK.
August 19, 2025
@Lynn,
‘Because it is Zelensky who has recently attacked and destroyed their ancient Orthodox Christian religious structure’
– Wrong. He’s put restrictions on Russian Orthodox – not Orthodox in general (and Russian Orthodox can still receive the Sacraments from non-Russian Orthodox).
August 18, 2025
I think millions of Conservative voters feel geopolitically threatened by Putin (some more than others – and many who would use stronger language than me). More so than any Soviet leader – except Stalin – from the 1950’s to 1980’s.
August 18, 2025
@Ed M. Calling out someone’s patriotism because they believe that Putin isn’t a geopolitical threat to the UK is a fallacy.
One can believe, as I do, that Putin isn’t a great threat to the UK, unless we push him into a corner. My view is that we have no national self interest in provoking him further. My view on the matter is driven by love of my nation rather than loathing of it.
August 18, 2025
So you saying Putin is less of a geopolitical threat than the Soviet Union back in the 1950’s to 1980’s? Yes or no?
I think he’s more of a threat. And back in the 1950’s to 1980’s if you didn’t support British efforts to protect the realm against the Soviet Union you would have been considered unpatriotic to say the least (I wouldn’t make the claim as strongly as people back then but I still think it’s unpatriotic, yes).
August 18, 2025
+1
August 18, 2025
This power station, not that far from Crimea, has been in Russian hands since 2022. Your original wording was meant to paint a picture that power station was under continual targetting with intent to destroy.
To gain control of a plant is not the same as destorying it.
August 18, 2025
“Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.” (Ecclesiastes 9:18)
August 18, 2025
The last thing we should do is bind ourselves into a security guarantee for a corrupt undemocratic confected country 1500 miles away that has had a convoluted history, often as part of Russia and the USSR, with an unresolved civil war.
None of our business. No upside for us. No easy way out.
August 18, 2025
Britain already has entered a “defence” treaty with Ukraine.
August 18, 2025
You mean Keir Starmer has, or Boris Johnson. Let’s see how that turns out.
August 18, 2025
It is our business.
The UK rightly made The Soviet Union its business during the Cold War. And Putin is more of a geopolitical threat to the UK than the Soviet Union during the 1950’s to 1980’s (at least after the time of Stalin at least).
August 18, 2025
In what way a ‘threat’, Ed? Are the Russians trying to stop our shipping on the high seas? No, we’re doing that to them. Are they imposing trade sanctions on us? No, we’re doing that to them. Are they showing their proxies how to blow up infrastructure in Britain? No, we’re doing that to them. Are they trying to get our soldiers killed? No, we’re doing that to them.
Try turning off the NATO propaganda media – you might not feel so threatened.
August 18, 2025
@Hat Man. +1.
August 18, 2025
I didn’t say ‘Russians’ I said Putin.
August 18, 2025
Thank goodness our PM’s partnership deal with Ukraine is only for 100 years. It could have been for a 1000 years. The same applies to his fishing deal with the EU. Fortunately it is only for 12 years when it could have been for a 100 or even 1000 years. It appears there is no legal or constitutional limit for how long an international deal or agreement a PM can sign. Even without a specific mandate or a referendum. It’s even possible to give away UK territory as we have seen with the Chagos Islands.
August 18, 2025
All treaties can be ditched at will.
August 18, 2025
The EU is a disgrace, posturing over Ukraine whilst still buying Russian gas and oil products (via India).
Russia poses a threat to the EU borders but not the UK. Trump is correct to chastise them for expecting a free ride from America.
There is the manpower, materials and money within the EU to police their own borders but successive governments have concentrated on welfare and funding immigration rather than self protection.
A large fifth column has been allowed to grow within the UK and EU which if Putin invaded would be his little helpers.
We reap what we sow and politicians of all stripes have let us down badly.
The EU and Britain has shown that we are no longer relevant on the world stage.
August 18, 2025
IW :
Agree completely.
August 18, 2025
@Ian wragg – more than just posturing. The beleaguered UK taxpayer is funding relief in the Ukraine while its masters are ensuring that Russia receives the funding through the backdoor to keep the war going.
From the media “The National Health Service (NHS) is among several British public sector bodies set to benefit from a four-year gas supply contract, worth up to £8 billion, agreed last year between the U.K. government and TotalEnergies Gas and Power. ”
That’s just not posturing that is being two-faced. This new contract was entered into after they promised due to media outcry to to stop.
The UK Citizen is funding both sides of the conflict
August 18, 2025
Be grateful that Russia still sells energy to us. It’s because Putin does not want European civilians to pay the price for our eccentric Officials.
August 18, 2025
+1
August 18, 2025
The EU buys Russian gas directly. You can monitor the LNG shipments being discharged at GATE Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Dunkerque, Montoir, Bilbao, Ferrol, Sines, Huelva, Escombreras, Sagunto and Barcelona.
August 18, 2025
I’m reminded of the oft repeated remonstrations of President F D Roosevelt against war, when all along he new America had to take up arms to bring it to an end.
August 18, 2025
Was it the USA which brought the war to an end? You sure?
August 18, 2025
Yes
August 18, 2025
Sir John,
To me, it seems that the EU are itching to get involved so they can convince themselves and the world, that they’re a world power. It makes me sick to see the sharp elbowed EU acting like peacocks as if they are a nation state. In my view, the EU and NATO almost encouraged the Russians to attack, in order to protects their border.
Some parts of Ukraine are more Russian than Ukrainian with Russian being their main language.
I am not a Russian apologist nor a fan of Putin, but nor am I a fan of Zalensky and definitely not the EU.
It’s a mess and I definitely don’t want my country to put my grandchildren in harms way. I don’t know what the answer is but, the UK fighting another war in Europe, no thanks.
August 18, 2025
Excellent. Pathetic European leaders desperate to find a role pushing back against Trump at the same time squealing against his move to withdraw the US security umbrella. Putin, one step ahead always, rightly views with contempt the threat of NATO and knows that the neither have the capacity without the US or political support for a war against him.
Ukraine historically corrupt has not created the economic or political environment to get the loyalty of the Russian diaspora that Estonia, who also has a common open border with Russia has.
EU leaders, virtue signalling people of straw.
August 18, 2025
The EU is not killing people like Putin terrorist / dictator has done from 20 years back.
Yes, the EU is a bureaucratic and interfering so and so on. And right to challenge it.
But there’ no moral equivalency between the EU and Putin.
Grow up!
August 18, 2025
Moral equivalence in politics. Well known as a meaningless fallacy used by people to support their view.
August 18, 2025
+1
August 18, 2025
Cliff.. Wokingham +1 – well said
August 18, 2025
The first thing this country needs to do is to dispense with the services of those at the top of the MoD who have suffered no consequences for their incompetence and who prefer to bury the evidence for 100 years by misusing the phrase “national security”
Secondly, we need to understand why most of our extremely expensive Astute SSN are tied up alongside and not actively at sea defending the UK. Similarly, our Type 45 air defence destroyers, three of whom are also alongside slowly deteriorating and which have not put to sea for years.
Why has the Royal Marines amphibious capability been sold off to the Brazilians after HMS Albion just had a £100m refit? Why exactly has the Army been so savagely reduced to a mere 72,000?
Labour need to get a grip on this. Starmer has provided new money for defence and has committed us to a 5% of GDP spend ASAP. We need to make sure that this goes on trained personnel and kit and not enhanced pensions and gold-plated pet projects for the rank incompetents running the MoD
Last weekend’s Trump love-fest for the war criminal Putin and his disgusting appeasement of Russian territorial demands – after 3 years of bombing Ukraine civilians – has disheartened many of those who support Ukraine. What chance has Ukraine got when the leader of the free world prefers to bully Zelenskyy rather than Putin?
August 18, 2025
A Type 45 destroyer I believe is the only defence the UK could muster against a nuclear attack. Moscow has anti-missile systems around it, why doesn’t the UK have the same for London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast…? A good answer for our support of Ukraine, we could beef up our own defences and stretch the faltering Russian economy further. It was economic collapse that led to the break up of the USSR and this is the best hope for Ukraine.
August 18, 2025
Good question, Dave. Perhaps the answer is: military chiefs in the two countries know that Moscow is in real danger, whereas our cities are not.
The Russian economy is faltering? GDP growth was 4% last year, according to the World Bank, and likely to be much higher than ours again this year. That seems pretty good to me.
August 18, 2025
It will be economic collapse that does for the EU – the current equivalent of the USSR.
Russia’s economy is growing again. The MsM has admitted that Russia alone out manufactures the whole of NATO by a margin. Of course it has energy …
August 18, 2025
@ Dave Andrews “Moscow has anti-missile systems around it, why doesn’t the UK have the same…” – iirc that is because of treaty obligations entered into during the Cold War period.
Recognizing protecting cities generally with anti-missile systems undermined the balance of terror (that arose from mutually assured destruction by using nuclear weapons systems) it was agreed that only Moscow and Washington would be so protected.
August 18, 2025
It looks like you are halfway to admitting the truth, SG. The British government has realised for some time that we haven’t got people prepared to put their lives on the line in this country’s armed forces. Therefore resources are put into financing proxies in NATO’s foreign wars, e.g. Ukrainians, to do the dying for us. We train them in warfare (though by now they know more about it than we do), and show them how to use new technology like sea drones. At the same time a lot of funds are put into hybrid warfare, including 77th Brigade. (How are you getting on there, btw?)
That’s why the government isn’t refurbishing those Type 45 destroyers, and decommissioned two landing ships last year: You can’t really hire Filipinos to crew RN ships, can you? That’s why it’s going to spend over £1 billion on new cyber-warfare capacity instead. The MoD is evidently learning something from the Ukraine war, whatever you might think about it.
August 18, 2025
@Sakara Gold – as you suggest a bit of honesty wouldn’t go amiss. Then again all those jobs the UK Ministry of Defence staff 62,500 and growing, not bad when they can only muster 72,000 men to go on the front-line.
The 5% on defence spending has been defined by Starmer’s masters in the EU to include all infrastructure projects, HS2, green energy, roads, telecom’s, etc. It wasn’t an amount based on what we needed to spend to protect ourselves, money will not find its way to real defence equipment and the front-line. After all with out preparation for war the UK would not spend money on those items. So the suggestion of new money is typical bureaucrat/political speak
August 18, 2025
When I worked with the MoD, Whitehall was the plum final posting for senior officers before retirement. I met several charming people (my liason officers) over several years, who usually had no detailed technical knowledge of the areas we were discussing and who probably weren’t that concerned either. Everything moves at glacial speed in the MoD and I was continually having to explain to my European/American management why the deal couldn’t just be closed.
Frankly, I’d just about given up on the business, when the deal finally went through. In the meanwhile, large contracts had been signed with other commercial entities that took very much less time to complete from beginning to end. I can fully understand why smaller companies can’t afford to do business with the MoD (and NHS) as the cost of sales (and resources tied up) is high, which obviously gets reflected in the price they (we) end up paying….
August 18, 2025
SG
Your “new money for defence..5% of GDP”…is by 2035.
Not today
August 18, 2025
Who knows what GDP will be in 2035.
The real spend might reduce.
August 18, 2025
The EU is not a benign democracy. It is an expansionist mega-bureaucracy with no truly democratic credentials whatsoever.
I support Trump’s efforts to broker a peace. I hope he’s successful and the killing stops. I hope he also makes it very clear to Putin that NATO will protect its existing members so an attempt to further Russian expansion via aggression would be a very bad idea. I hope he makes the same point to Von Der Leyen and the political pygmies in Europe, including Two-Tier.
I do not want the UK to be making promises of military support to Ukraine, or getting involved in so-called “peace-keeping.” I am more concerned about the state of the UK and protecting this country from the foreign invasion which has been going on for the past few years than Ukraine.
August 18, 2025
I want immigration right down. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t support Ukraine to be free of tyranny (and the geopolitical threat of Putin – even more of a threat than the Soviet Union during the 1950’s to 1980’s). And no-one (maybe some extremists) is saying the UK should go to war with Russia or anything like that. But just to follow, more-a-less, the moderate – but not appeasing – approach of Boris Johnson.
Reply Ukraine will not evict Russia without a major increase in military resources. Who will do the fighting?
August 18, 2025
No way can NATO get directly involved in Ukraine. For one, that could easily lead to nuclear war or something.
But at same time, nor can NATO hang back doing nothing / appeasing Putin.
The best is to carry on with the approach of Boris Johnson (I can’t improve on what Johnson has said) but would add, that we then live in the hope of Putin falling on his sword before long). That’s the best we can hope for.
August 18, 2025
So what ARE you saying, Ed? You want us to provide resources (whether or not we can afford them), and Ukrainians to keep fighting and dying. is that it?
August 18, 2025
Either Ukrainians keep fighting and dying, or the Russian Army will sweep through with rape and pillage, like they already do in the occupied territories. Not much choice is there.
August 18, 2025
So from what you say it’s between Ukraine and Russia. OK, then. Let’s stop spending our taxpayers’ money on this hugely costly idiotic proxy war.
August 18, 2025
I’m not saying anything more than what Boris Johnson / Zelensky have been saying which is eons different to what Trump has been saying (or not saying) and Putin.
You’re also ignoring the possibility of Putin falling on his sword sooner or later and democracy possibly returning to Russia. That is more hopeful than APPEASING Putin where he gets what he wants in Ukraine and then moving on to his next mission which will involve more war and / or undermining Europe and the UK. The guy’s a loon.
August 18, 2025
Ukraine should be free from Tyranny. It should have an election and the opportunity to sack Zelensky, who won on the promise of friendship with Russia.
Talk about Two-tier Starmer. He’s not even an original.
August 18, 2025
The killing can stop just as soon as Putin stops pouring in the cannon fodder.
August 18, 2025
Agree
August 18, 2025
+1.
“The West needs more than moral indignation in Ukraine”
Indeed and it certainly needs to ditch Net Zero if it is going to be in any position to even defend itself or survive economically. Some good interview videos.
Why Climate Fanaticism Is Killing Us | Lord Matthew Ridley
Why You Can’t Trust The ‘Experts’ | Lord Matthew Ridley
Why We Can’t ‘Fix’ Climate Change | Lord Matthew Ridley
August 18, 2025
@Donna +1, so very true on every level
August 18, 2025
I think Sir John from your post you would really like to have a war with Russia, and it is only the threat of world war lll is your real reason for not doing so inspite of your carefully word statement.
Whilst I think everyone agrees that a formal invasion by Russia was miss-calculated and better that Putin should have continued to defend the ethnic Russian Ukrainians from attack by the Ukrainian Army. At this stage the West could have told the Ukrainian government to stop and allow the ethnic Russian Ukrainians some degree of self government but still part of Ukraine.
I am very surprised that you believe only Russia is attacking civillians and their homes and hospitals. I guess you only read Western media.
The atomic power station comment is real mIs-information. The Russians are guarding the power stations. You can check this out with the IAEA who are at risk from Ukraine forces when doing their inspections. I don’t disagree that Russia is bombing the electricty network of Ukraine but not their atomic power stations.
I take away from your view that it is OK for Ukraine to bomb Russian civillians and ethnic ukrainian Russians.
Reply You misread my comments. I hade clear I have no wish to go to war against Russia and do not think this in UK ‘s interest.This site allows pro Russia and pro Ukraine to make claims which often do not agree
August 18, 2025
Why are people so black and white?
It’s not about war with Russia. But nor is it about appeasing Russia either.
But taking, more-a-less, the approach of Boris Johnson on this.
Whilst not forgetting, Putin is more of a geopolitical threat to the UK than the Soviet Union was, after Stalin, from the 1950’s to the 1980’s.
Johnson’s approach is moderate / sensible – and patriotic (the defence of the realm against the geopolitical threat of Putin).
August 18, 2025
Well Ed M – surely either you go into a war all out to win it at all costs or you do it half heartedly and them after vast losses of money and life you probably lose.
War is rather black and white. Like a game of Tennis but with rather more violence, blood & gore and deaths.
August 18, 2025
No sir, you’re confusing will power with wisdom.
In 1942, there were Brits arguing for D-Day into France. The will power was there but not the wisdom. The wisdom was to wait until 1944 (for many sorts of reasons).
Another example, the spaniards were greatly outclassed by Napoleon’s battle-field armies. So they developed a new type of warfare (the first kind of modern-day-like SAS) in the mountains and rugged landscape of Spain that caused a real upset to Napoleon’s armies. And greatly helped the British army in Spain. For the Spaniards to have fought the French out in the open, in trad battle formation, would have been a disaster for the Spaniards. So the Spaniards using wisdom with will power – not just will power.
And a famous case of will power without wisdom: The Battle of Balaclava.
And so many other examples from history.
August 18, 2025
And so fight Putin with wisdom not just willpower and wait for him to fall on his own sword (that so often happens with people like him from the past – over-estimating their own power and abilities – that is the great achilles heal of people like him).
August 18, 2025
+1
August 18, 2025
+1
August 18, 2025
Johnson’s opinion is that we grind Russia into the ground. If that is moderate I’m a Dutchman.
August 18, 2025
I am not pro-Russian or pro-Ukraine. Taking sides without looking at the truth of the situation is how this conflect started.
Most Western Politicians are just anti-Russian as a matter of faith rather than logic. It dates back to our wars with Russia, comminism taking hold in Russia has had its long term effect on this view.
The EU and NATO need Russia as the bad Guy to stay in Power. Even our Government.
August 18, 2025
Well, I’m anti Putin and pro protecting the UK against the geopolitical threat of Putin to the UK where he is more of a threat to that than the Soviet Union was to the UK from the 1950’s to 1980’s.
So easy choice.
August 18, 2025
Ed M,
The biggest threat to the UK is 3rd world immigration.
August 18, 2025
One threat though doesn’t negate another. We have to deal with both threats.
August 18, 2025
There are ‘claims’ and the; there are ‘facts’.
I deal in facts.
August 18, 2025
NATO wouldn’t win against Russia. If Russia was losing it would use nuclear weapons. That is the point of having them.
Just as the USA used nuclear weapons against Japan rather than incur horrendous casualties in further “conventional” fighting, nuclear powers will use their weapons to avoid defeat.
If Russia loses, it will ensure everyone loses. Lavrov has already effectively said it… “what use is the world without Russia?”
August 18, 2025
@ mickc “Just as the USA used nuclear weapons against Japan rather than incur horrendous casualties in further “conventional” fighting,…” – no, the USA knew of Japan’s intent (not yet communicated officially) to cease fighting before it used atomic bombs.
There is a view that Truman wanted to show Stalin what atomic bombs could do (recall Truman was unaware of Stalin’s knowledge gained via spies).
August 18, 2025
During ceasefires or peace talks, how often does annexed land get handed back?
War usually progresses through attractional advances, those advances are rarely returned.
Gains will be crystallised at the end of the war.
August 18, 2025
@Sir John,
Your article here is too black and white.
No-one is calling for a NATO war with Ukraine but for NATO countries to support Ukraine until Putin falls on his own sword.
August 18, 2025
‘No-one is calling for a NATO war with Ukraine’ – with Russia I meant
August 18, 2025
EdM
And you think Putin’s successor will not be a hard-liner?
August 18, 2025
I imagine Putin’s successor would be just as much a monster as he is. Nevertheless there would be a window of opportunity for Russia to go in a slightly different direction with a new leader without Putin’s baggage.
August 18, 2025
I think once Putin goes (he’s 72 and his power has taken a batterying although still in tact but fractured), Russia for the first time in its history will be able to have a go at democracy and the rule of law. I know, not easy. But has worked or working in Eastern Europe. Why not Russia?
And geopolitically that’s good for the UK.
August 18, 2025
You really should keep up, Ed. When Putin retires, you won’t get regime change as you and your deluded friends hope, you’ll get Medvedev. On present form he will be more hard-line, and won’t stand for the lying double-speak that Putin has put up with years from NATO leaders. And in Russia he’ll be just as popular as Putin is now.
August 18, 2025
That’s a very good point – and worth debating for sure.
August 18, 2025
Medvedev is not even the top contender. What about Alexei Dyumin, Sergey Kiriyenko, Boris Kovalchuk, Dmitri Patrushev, Mikhail Mishustin (the PM).
August 18, 2025
Russians are annoyed because Putin is so careful, so forgiving, so careful to act with the law.
That is their criticism of him.
Beware what you wish for, Russia could have won in 2 weeks.
Few of us would have been here to witness it.
August 18, 2025
This is England – not Russia. We don’t accept any form of tyranny here even though Russian society is rife with it from Putin down to the local village top boss man. But that can change. If Eastern Europe can embrace democracy and the rule of law so can Russia.
August 18, 2025
Where did you get all your knowledge of Russia, Ed?
August 18, 2025
Sir John
NATO without the USA cannot defeat anything. Other than the USA no member is contributing to their own defence. The Bureaucrats amongst the alternative gang even now argue that expenditure on defence has to include the money they spend on infrastructure, as if they don’t need a good infrastructure without a war.
It is never about percentages it is about a framework that would deter and aggressor, even as an independent entity. As it stands of those in Europe it is only Finland that recognises what is needed, not for without reason Finland on its own fought off an invasion by Russia.
The UK at best is hoping that one submarine on station with a handful of super destructive missiles would be enough to deter aggression. People need reminding of the recent test to prove this capability – there was a 100% failure then the money ran out.
People need to also be reminded when the MsM tries to hype up the UK’s capability, whether its ‘Storm Shadow’ missiles(Made in France not the UK), submarines, warships they all only exist by the whims of a Foreign Government, for the most part France, they own the technology and control the manufacture that allows them to enter the water. France is as we have seen a good friend of the UK it aids and abets criminal activity against the UK on a daily basis
Reply NATO is of course primarily US power!
August 18, 2025
@Reply – which is why Trump is pointing out the imbalance, lack or reciprocal appreciation. The USA has a lot brewing to its West what we call East having to spend equally on both fronts while one party sits back and relaxes is what most of us call galling.
The USA is 342 million citizens the EU with approx a 1/3 more at 450 million, the USA is spending $1.92 Trillion on defence the just EU $380 million, that can never be seen as a mutual share and contribution.
Defence is not percentages it is simply ensuring you keep your citizens safe. The EU fudge “Many critical components of 21st-century defence are dual-use: chips, cloud services, software, satellites, artificial intelligence, you just name it. Our defence industry needs seamless access to the high end of these vital technologies,” von der Leyen said during the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum. In other words the things that are spent without war are now to be seen as defence spending. So 3% becomes 5% without more money getting spent
August 18, 2025
I don’t know what game the EU are playing. They are still buying Russian hydrocarbons if not actually directly then via India. They say they want to protect Ukraine’s borders but are totally unprepared to protect their own borders against the migrant invasion from the Third World. Unless they are really angling for WWIII then the only way to curb Russian aggression is through economic means and this will be impossible whilst pursuing the communist inspired and led CAGW and its Net Zero “solution” to de-industrialise and impoverish their nations with the rationing of energy, food and transport. Unfortunately our PM and Uniparty wishes also to follow this EU policy.
August 18, 2025
The US should supply effective arms in quantity directly or indirectly which Ukraine can use against meaningful targets in Russia to demoralize the Russian people. The west should not reward Putin for his aggression.
August 18, 2025
When Moscow was hit or Kursk was occupied, the anger of the Russian people was palpable, the increase in volunteers rise dramatically.
August 18, 2025
Russia has invaded Abkhazia and South Ossetia (Georgia 2008) and Crimea (Ukraine 2014) and Donbas (Ukraine 2022). And for peace Putin wants more land ….appeasement isn’t working
August 18, 2025
Do you really think the largest country in the world ‘wants more land’, Glen? Why not try listening to what the Russians say they want (international security, no more NATO expansion)? Then why not try listening to what the American neocons say they want (extending and weakening Russia)? You might start to understand what’s really going on with this conflict.
Oh, and as even the EU admitted, the Georgian army invaded Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008, you got it the wrong way round. Your favourite media never got around to admitting that, though.
August 18, 2025
Russia’s goal was to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine in a short 3-day war by invasion and change of government, to return ukraine back to historic russia ……read Putins own words – Article by Vladimir Putin ”On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians“ http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/66181
August 19, 2025
The keyword in the title, Glen, was ‘historical’, which you seemed to have missed. Let me quote the last words in this article which you think is so important: ‘And what Ukraine will be – it is up to its citizens to decide.’
August 19, 2025
”it is up to its citizens to decide”
The Ukraine government & people have decided and their answer is that they don’t ish to be any part of russia !!! Therefore Putin isn’t to be trusted
And don’t tell me that the elections in the Crimea where free and fair
August 18, 2025
Putin has more land than anyone else on earth. He does not need more land, he needs NATO with it’s nuclear weapons and eccentric leaders at sufficient distance from his country so that his early warning systems guarantee enough time to respond.
Of course the EU proxy Ukraine has been targeting and occasionally hitting the Russian Nuclear Early Warning Systems.
I don’t know whether you think this is clever, but don’t be surprised if European and British military bases attract hypersonic wipeout.
August 18, 2025
He doesn’t actually want more land ….he wants his historic land back, ‘ukraine is russian’
August 18, 2025
china and taiwan ….more appeasement
August 18, 2025
You deny Taiwan is part of China? Courageous.
Is Northern Ireland part of the U.K.? Should we deal with that first before siding with the EU Globalists and American neo-cons on Taiwan?
August 19, 2025
I believe in self determination by the majority
I know some people in Taiwan who believe that mainland China belongs to Taiwan and would welcome reunification but only under a democratic and not a comminist state
August 18, 2025
I’m not knocking Sir John – just challenging on a particular point with tough love!
August 18, 2025
I agree with everything JR says in his OP. The EU’s moral indignation is not only useless but ridiculous, particularly given their own reluctant compliance and even non-compliance on sanctions against Russia. The playground rhetorical question, ‘You and whose army?’ seems appropriate. Given more time, Putin could probably conquer the rest of the Donbas, at the expense of the destruction of the ‘fortified’ cities within it. Telling him he’s an inhumane brute is so much hot air. And if he turns his attention to a strike on London (say), the EU would merely do more moral tut-tutting while also rejoicing that ‘Brexit has failed’. Putin knows this.
Post-treaty guarantees are of course essential, and NATO does play a role there, in preventing the Russian fleet from a) blockading the remaining stretch of Ukrainian coastline to strangle trade, or b) occupying Odessa, which is I imagine a longer-term aim of Putin’s.
August 18, 2025
There are no more fortified cities. That’s why the front line is moving so fast. Also hardly any defenders.
August 18, 2025
A wonderful and all too rare honest and sensible appraisal, Sir John.
Trump is a step further along. He also understands that the EU is not acting out of lofty moral principles. It does not intend to defend Ukraine. It is quite content to let the Ukrainians do the fighting and dying so that, should Russia withdraw, the EU could then take sovereignty over Ukraine and take control of the country’s vast reserves of gas and critical minerals for German Energiewende and EU Green Energy. In fact this was the Faustian deal made with Zelensky just three days after Russia invaded. In return Germany would supply and the EU would fund weapons for Ukraine.
Trump, rightly, has no trust or faith in the foul blackmailing EU.
August 18, 2025
Europe is still Russia’s second biggest customer for energy. Much of the posturing is essentially anti-Trump who genuinely seems to dislike bloodshed. The fight on brigade don’t really know how the Ukrainians feel, as there is no free press and democratic activity is difficult in a war where many of the voters have taken refuge abroad.
August 19, 2025
Disappointed Sir John my comments were moderated out!