In February this year I wrote the words you’ll find below, after I listened to this clip from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her extraordinary speech to leaders gathered in Kyiv. Few speeches by politicians age well, but this has aged like a fine wine. I have said many times, it takes the words of a woman to capture the sentiment of the wider world in times of crisis.
I stumbled upon it today and listened again. It is no less profound in this moment than it was back then. On the eve of a proposed 30 day ceasefire, which Ukraine agreed to weeks ago, we are about to find out if Putin is willing to roll the dice.
I have left my words unchanged from my original post because I believe they are as valid today as they were then. Equally I feel as angry with Trump today as I did then too, because I still believe he would abandon NATO in the blink of an eye if he could profit from it. I make no apologies for my words because I was, and remain very disappointed at how Zelenskyy and his people have had only our half hearted support to stop an indicted war criminal who has commited war crimes against the Ukrainian people.
In this new environment where Europe has stepped up to increase both military spending and support for Ukraine I am heartened that Europe and the UK continue with unwavering support for Ukraine and are now prepared to back that up with a willingness to close the skies and deploy a reassurance force to protect against further Russian aggression. Today Trump seems in support of the European position, but tomorrow who knows? He could be calling Zelenskyy a dictator who started the war again.
He has done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to support the efforts of Ukraine to defend its people, instead choosing to align with Putin and become his apologist. You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t trust a word he utters.
My words of 25/02/2025 a little after midnight on X. The post went viral :
‘Today we have heard some outstanding speeches from NATO ally leaders. However, this one from the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, was the one that spoke to me for sure.
I think it’s time to stop pretending to ourselves that the U.S. is anything but an impediment to solving this existential threat, to the welfare and safety of all our citizens.
Let me quote Sun Tzu's The Art of War. ‘All warfare is based on deception’ and for sure, Putin has waged a war of deception. He projected the historical power of the mighty Red army in a bid to quickly overrun Ukraine. He attempted to do it with untrained poorly equipped troops, on out of date rations.
Putin rolled the dice thinking NATO would not commit troops to help defend Ukraine and he was right. What he didn’t plan for, was the lion spirit of the Ukrainian people and the ingenuity of their military engineers. Their work with drones and sea drones has redefined battlefield strategy. Once allies started providing javelin anti-tank missiles and supporting artillery, the game changed. They prevented the Russians from achieving air superiority? And the Russian Black Sea Fleet had to retreat from port.
It is testament to the Ukrainian army and air force, Russia has been held back against all the odds. Let’s be clear, the military has achieved what it has, not because of us, but in-spite of us. We have only given them enough weapons to hold the bear back, not to evict it. There were constant delays, waiting on artillery shells, HIMARS and ATACMS, as well as tanks and F16s.
WE HAVE LET THEM DOWN. Yet these brave men and women have innovated and made do, to defend not only their country, but our borders too. WE OWE THEM BIG TIME. Not with words and sympathy, but with the proper tools to get the job done.
America has disgracefully walked away and aligned with our enemy. The U.S. president’s pet, Elon Musk along with JD Vance, have meanwhile actively supported far right political parties in Europe. Then Vance had the audacity to turn up and lecture us on our own doorstep. What was our answer? ‘Please don’t hurt us’.
This week, we see a slow procession of European leaders making the pilgrimage to the court of Mad King Don for a humiliation session. Pardon my French but ‘f*ck that’, it’s time to stand tall and tell Trump to ‘f*ck right off’ and if it were me. I’d tell him to take his airbases with him too and cancel all military arms contracts.
If he wants access to Ukrainian minerals that’s fine. Ukraine HAS NO DEBT with the U.S. They simply have the thanks of a grateful nation. There was no loan agreement. If he wants mineral rights, then provide an arms package as a down payment for future revenues. Leave the deal on the table for a week and if it’s not signed, pull the deal. Then they get nothing and in addition, no bids will be accepted from US companies for the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war. Now that’s the art of the deal.
As for NATO allies, Trump is walking away regardless, so Europe needs to get its act together NOW. Seize Russian assets and use the funds to fire up the European military industrial base. This will create jobs and growth, while capacity is expanded in all countries with an arms manufacturing capability.
In the meantime, we already have the ability, especially if Poland steps up, to defend against any increased Russian aggression. The British military has already said, if it were needed, we would meet that threat head on today. If this collective approach is taken, the Russian army in Ukraine could be crushed just as we crushed the Iraqi army in Desert Storm.
It’s time to show the Americans their services are no longer required. Then when the war is over, we can look to promote the Euro as the new global reserve currency. No harm in ambition I say.
We need to believe in ourselves. It’s time to get the job done and show the world FAFO. There’s only one village idiot in this town and it’s not Zelenskyy.
I rest my case.’
