We must re-dedicate ourselves to securing a victory for Ukraine

There will be a lot of discussion about how today is the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While it’s true that the current onslaught began on 24th February 2022, the reality is that the Ukrainians have been holding off Vladimir Putin since Russia first entered Crimea and the Donbas in 2014.

As people talk of ‘war fatigue’ in the West, it’s worth reminding ourselves of the fact that despite a decade of war, there is no sign that the Ukrainian population has any appetite to give in to Putin now.

After two years it’s easy for those of us half a continent away to forget the rage we felt seeing war return to mainland Europe. War has come at great cost to us, both in the form of direct aid and the impact upon the economy. Yet, after years of appeasement, it has been proven that the only diplomacy Putin respects is force. If Ukraine falls, he will be emboldened and the only options for further expansion are all NATO countries. Nuclear war will become unavoidable.

Given the existential risk, ensuring that Ukraine has the resources they need to win the war is worth any price. In this context, the political games being played by some figures in both the United States and the Europe Union are inexcusible, jeopardising aid essential to the war effort in order to secure short-term partisan wins. Had such politicians–enthusiastically supported by Putin apologists in the global media–held influential roles in the 1930s and 40s, the UK would still be fending off the Third Reich to this day.

No. We must us honour the blood price Ukraine is paying for a war in which we all have a stake and rededicate ourselves to ensuring that the tens of thousands who have lost their lives, the hundreds of thousands who have been wounded, and the millions who have been displaced, have not done so in vain. The UK stands with Ukraine and must continue to do so until the job is done. Slava Ukraini.