The proposition that the supply of lethal weapons saves lives may seem a contradiction in terms. Yet the atrocities committed in Bucha, Mariupol and across Ukraine demonstrate how vital the transfer of military hardware can be to protecting innocent civilians.
As Vladimir Putin prepares his forces to double down on the eastern part of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the rest of the world to supply his army with the material it desperately needs to resist. Without this, he warned, the international community was effectively giving Russian “permission” to escalate its attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The UK has been steadfast in supplying Ukraine with defensive weapons which it has used to push Russian forces away from the capital, Kyiv. Tank-busting weapons have proved vital along with American Javelins. We must continue to provide these.
Ratcheting up sanctions is critical. Yet it remains the case that by importing Russian energy, Europe is providing Moscow with hundreds of millions of euros every day, effectively funding Putin’s war machine. Our continent must stop funding both sides of this war.
Because ultimately, Russia’s defeat would not only be a victory for Ukraine, but for the very concepts of self-determination and democracy.
