Ukraine Russia Conflict

  • Trump didn’t have to meet Putin

    The Putin-Trump summit isn’t the only way to do it. If the UN hadn’t of berated Israel so much, it might have taken a chance to intervene. It might still have to.

    The problem in international affairs is finding time. There isn’t scope to regret and forget so quickly. The short-term lives on for longer than people think.

    The Israel-Gaza conflict is clearly taking up time – and leading to precious few results. The pressing matter of peace in Europe is taking up American hours.

    It’s the wrong way to do it. The right path is to let peace come by fair means set out for the benefit of the international community. It has to rest on all of us.

  • Putin’s plan is wrong

    Russia is wrong. Putin is selfish. He’s invading sovereign territory. His views are old fashioned. His motive is not crystal clear. He wants to rule a democratic nation. He wants to bait Europe at its doorstep. He’s looking for fights.

    His map is wrong. He doesn’t see the spread of freedom. He doesn’t value elections. He doesn’t regard new parties. He doesn’t note changes in societies. He ignores all this for his own agenda. It’s a poor vision of a dark future.

  • Zelenskyy’s diplomatic approach is strengthening

    In his latest missive on X, Ukraine’s President has launched a sideswipe at many Western approaches at diplomacy. He clearly knows what he wants.

    He thinks we need to learn more about sanctions. The point is they stop more than just one person. It stops all the activity that goes into a war.

    “Sanctions are powerful, when enforced. If loopholes are closed, missile components, including for ballistic systems, simply won’t reach Russia. Sanctions aren’t just about money. They’re about stopping the flow of deadly technology, the parts that enable Russia to produce these horrific weapons at scale.”

    It won’t, however. In fact Russia’s military is complex. It cannot simply be shutdown. He’s right to say it flows, but Russia does it better than just that.

    The aim of sanctions is to impose geopolitical limits. This still leaves the Ukraine front open. It’ll take more than stops in supply chains to win.

  • Russia losses over one million

    It’s going around online on official accounts that Russia has now lost over one million of its military personnel. This is a crude ‘milestone’ it didn’t want to hit and has done so in a reckless war.

    Putin is now risking his nation’s future by ploughing more lives into a pointless conflict. In Western terms he stands to gain absolutely nothing. He’s not seen as a legitimate leader and he doesn’t have a case for invading Ukraine either.

    The limitations of a Russian win are now clear. It wouldn’t be recognised internationally. His conflict is already seen as a distraction on an international scene that’s too busy. He’s fighting for old ideas in a world of new values.

    His Russia is increasingly slipping backwards. It’s stuck in a regressive dream. It wants more than it can bargain for. Its negotiations with Ukraine shows it needs to retreat and give up. Its enemy is wiling to dialogue because it’s confident it will end.

    Putin needs to count his losses and leave early. His Presidency is already in a type of decline. It’s not easy to believe in national pride as more and more of your compatriots are lost. He needs to regain ground by calling a ceasefire.

  • Zelenskyy’s war is diversifying

    The Ukraine war is a difficult battlefield for President Zelenskyy. He’s got to confront multiple geopolitical realities. His advisors are intelligent but dynamics strain on Ukraine’s capability.

    No-one wins by attrition. It won’t happen by drones. The intelligent moves are found in diplomacy. The negotiations are the most important part. The strength of his nation’s future is in these.

  • Ukraine is getting big wins

  • Pres. Zelenskyy updates Russian sanctions

    Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed a tranche of new sanctions on Russia. The punitive measures are designed to cripple Russia’s war machine, and force Putin to end his war.

    The targets are close to the Russian President, undermining his ability to present a strong image. It also includes Russian activists in media circles, who continue to justify the country’s illegal war.

  • Putin may not survive this war

    The Ukraine war is in its third year. A surprise, brief Easter ceasefire does not lessen a feeling it’s gone on far too long. These sentiments in Russia may be deeper.

    The fourth Presidency of Putin is in its seventh year, and his costly war is sending Russians to the grave. While it’s a nation with a proud history, it wants to keep it.

    Ukraine is fighting back, and with support will get there, but it could be a precursor to a new President and a different way forward. This is if Russia decides it.

  • Westminster Week: Take cover!

    Monday

    The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy MP (Tottenham/Labour), praised Ukraine for its “defiant blitz spirit” in a Ministerial Statement. His disdain for the war has been a consistent line. Today he put Putin’s war into a “Tsarist tradition” in Russian imperialism. He said “Ukraine’s security is our security”, but it’s an anxious wait.

    Wednesday

    Prime Minister’s Questions brought out the gusto that sometimes is Parliamentary politics. Kemi Badenoch MP (North West Essex/Conservatives) said the increase of defence spending announced yesterday was her idea.

    The Prime Minister retorted, saying “she didn’t feature in my thinking at all”. He denied hearing about it, calling it a “desperate search for relevance” for her.

  • Reading Ukraine march

  • What Ukraine means for Europe

    The war in Ukraine with Russia has lasted nearly three years. Although targets are hit deep inside either countries, the combat has only straddled their shared border. Its hostilities are mainly centred on Eastern Ukraine and Western Russia.

    Despite this, the threat remains for the rest of Europe. There are plenty of targets for Russia to strike. It hates most of the West, and Putin hates our allies and partners in particular. He’s regularly stated a willingness to respond if we attack it first.

    It’s not obvious where it goes next, and if the rest of Europe should be afraid. Ukraine’s potential membership of Nato, and the EU, sets up such confrontation in the future. Now, it’s a question of what happens if the war were to spread outward.

  • Russia’s genocidal campaign rages on

    Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has reiterated the difficulties his country faces. Yesterday he summed up the challenges Ukraine faced in the past week. He noted how many projectiles Russia had used against his country and its people.

    “This week, our air defense forces have been working day and night to protect Ukraine’s skies from Russian terror. Last night, Russia launched a record 145 Shaheds and other strike drones against Ukraine. Throughout the week, Russia has used more than 800 guided aerial bombs, around 600 strike drones, and nearly 20 missiles of various types.”

    He also thanked France, the US, Canada, Lithuania, and Sweden for their collaboration in his nations defence. He said these nations have provided assurances of multiple avenues of support, including air defence systems, ground support, and training.

  • Ukraine calls for air support

    In a post on X, Ukraine’s President claimed Europe could do more to help defend Ukraine’s airspace. Zelenskyy said Russian missile and drone strikes can be mitigated with European air defence systems.

  • Defence update on Ukraine

    Defence Intelligence have said a detachment of 10,000 North Korean soldiers sent into Russia to help in its fight against Ukraine is unlikely to prove successful.

    “Russian and DPRK forces would almost certainly experience interoperability difficulties having not previously carried out joint military exercises. DPRK troops conducting combat operations would almost certainly have issues operating Russian equipment, integrating into Russia’s command and control structure, and working around the language barrier with Russian forces.”

    Although such a move is meant to strengthen Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, it may suffer setbacks due to lack of previous cooperation, and language differences.

  • Zelenskyy calls out West

    In a post on X, President Zelenskyy has called out Western partners over the misuse of parts in the Russian armoury. He’s said that “Western components” are being used in Shahed missiles.

    He says that America, Europe, and China are to blame for the parts reaching Russia. He says thousands of missiles and drones have been sent into Ukraine using such parts.