We've failed Ukraine
Let's stop overcomplicating this and remember Kyiv is our friend
I am going to keep this short – there is so much good reporting and writing out there already, as we reflect on four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. I will share some links below.
I honestly believe history will look back on this period as one of the most shameful in the West’s history.
That Putin has been able to keep going for so long, stealing the sovereign territory of another country and murdering innocents, is in no small part thanks to cowardly political choices that have just about kept Ukraine going. We could have moved faster and more aggressively. We could have acted more assertively when it was obvious what Putin’s intentions were.
Whether it’s European allies dragging their heels on sending hardware and cash, or four consecutive US administrations barely paying attention, the collective failures of the West have ultimately led to an adversary becoming stronger, while Ukraine, a Western ally, fights almost alone on our behalf against the greatest threat to our stability since the Second World War.
When I returned from a trip to Ukraine last summer, a well-meaning friend asked me if “they know we support them.” While I can’t speak on behalf of Ukrainians, I would say that when you are out there, you don’t feel any great sense that the West is providing much more than hands-off support. Few in Britain, America, or Europe are fully engaged with just how bad things are. Few seem to really believe that Ukraine is the frontline for our own conflict with Russia – a conflict the Kremlin believes it is winning.
The Coalition of the Willing, well-intentioned though it may be, cannot possibly provide the reassurances for Ukraine that are needed unless it can explicitly say what it will do to create a deterrent for Russia, in the event of a ceasefire. The idea that a Western cavalry of peacekeepers could finally be coming to save Ukraine is frankly insulting. Imagine telling the most effective army in Europe that a few thousand British and French troops are coming, but not until fighting ends, and, by the way, they will not use lethal force.
Supporting Ukraine is not an act of charity; it is an act of self-defence. This is our war too. In Putin’s eyes, he is already at war with Britain and the West.
From a moral standpoint, dragging our heels on full-throated support for Ukraine has been the most abject failure of foreign policy I can remember in my lifetime, given the total lack of moral ambiguity versus what good we could actually do. From a strategic standpoint, it has been idiotic and self-defeating.
In the coming months, pressure will pile on Ukraine to accept a shoddy Trump-brokered peace deal. The US President himself will no doubt bounce between positions in a way that allows Putin to escalate endlessly. There is little point in talking about the long-term outcome when we have so little say. The best thing we can do for the time being is maintain public support for Ukraine across Europe and keep pressure on politicians to help Kyiv stay as strong as possible.
For their sake, but also for ours.
Some reading:
Anthony Loyd in the Times on the robot evacuation of a Ukrainian soldier.
Politico’s Veronika Melkozerova on Ukraine’s volunteer drone-hunting squads.
The Kyiv Independent’s editorial column on Trump and Europe’s failures.
The Economist on the fate of border guards who survived the first night.
I could add so much more, but these four are worth your time.