Transnistria may be small and obscure, but the antics of its Russia-backed government are another warning of how comprehensive Putin’s ambitions to restore the old USSR have become.
He long warned of the perils of NATO expansion, the need to manage China’s emergence onto the world stage, and the paucity of Western strategy. Tragically, he has been vindicated.
There are lively independence movements all over the Federation; local elites are preparing for a clean excision, a chance to join the comity of nations as (in many cases) resource-rich republics.
The UK made a strategic mistake in dismissing the Messina Conference in 1955. This moment is not as seismic – but the UK should not pass up the opportunity to shape the post-Brexit, post-Ukraine, Europe where it can.
This isn’t the time for ambiguity, but clarity: now give them the tools so they can finish the job and free all their territory, including Crimea.
With Britain’s credibility in Kyiv unparalleled, we are best-placed to raise the question of how this war might end, with an eye to Russia’s stability and re-integration into the international system.
Delivering the right vehicle cannot be premised on the idea that non-EU states are merely satellites of Brussels.
It seldom occurs to this author that the best way to deal with fashionable absurdities is to laugh at them, and trust in the public’s common sense.
In the public imagination, his vague nuclear threats suggest intercontinental strikes against western cities. But suppose they mean something else.
Ministers should remember that Russian cultural and sporting stars aren’t responsible for the actions of their government.
It should remain a long-term aim but ensuring that we can generate the energy we need without a reliance on overseas sources should come first.
The situation will fester, which will pose major challenges for statecraft, and for the stability both of Ukraine and of surrounding areas.
Is the British public remotedly prepared for possible cyber attacks aimed at our national infrastructure?
NATO must stand united against Russia’s desire to restore Soviet hegemony.
How would we have felt if our benefactors had grown tired of the burden and attempted to force us into a negotiated settlement with Hitler? Thankfully, Britain had the resolve to continue and our allies remained true.