US in danger of being Putin’s ‘ally’
DEAR Editor, As the war in Ukraine is about to enter its third year, perhaps we should pause a moment to consider its likely progress during the coming 12 months.
With Putin playing – and winning hands down – the brinkmanship game, he has had time to regroup, strengthen defences and throw vast numbers of troops into the fray, cynically unconcerned at the high rate of casualties suffered.
Meanwhile, geopolitically naive and ignorant Republicans in the USA, aided and abetted by at least one cynical, self-interested EU member have, quite knowingly, given a huge boost to the Russian cause. Not only will this result in more civilian and military casualties, but with every delay, Russia becomes stronger and Ukraine weaker.
There can, therefore, only be one outcome of a prolonged conflict: a Russian victory – not because of the rightness of its cause, but because the forces of autocracy have proved more steadfast, reliable and mutually supportive than the dithering, squabbling democracies who have so far proved incapable of forming a united front or a coherent policy to combat naked aggression.
While Russia’s faithful allies, Iran, North Korea and – though denying it – China, continue to be a consistent and reliable source of weapons and ammunition to Russia, Ukraine’s so-called western allies remain locked in passive impotence, enfeebled by their own democratic processes.
Putin’s single most effective and potent ally, however, is the United States – a country which, at the behest of Donald Trump, remains paralysed and powerless to offer any support to Ukraine. Trump’s asinine comments and fawning admiration for Putin, while nauseating to behold, have already contributed to Russian victories on the battlefield.
It is now surely time to unite and prove to the world that democracy can after all triumph over tyranny and despotism. There are sinister forces watching our every move with great interest, just looking for an opportunity to exploit our weaknesses. At the moment we seem to be doing little to discourage them.
History has proved time and time again that dictators never stop – they have to be stopped.