UK must not make Putin's mistake as Trump's return increases risk of Ukraine War escalation

Tyrants like to create the impression they are loved and Russian state media dutifully reported that two million questions were submitted by ordinary citizens, no doubt all eagerly hoping to hear the wise words of their ‘dear leader’. Putin insisted Russia was now “much stronger... because it has become a truly sovereign country” and that its military was “the strongest in the world”.

In a particularly sickening moment, he suggested Russia could give advance notice of an attack on Kyiv with its new hypersonic ballistic missile, Oreshnik, and challenge the West to try to shoot it down. However, amid all the revelling in his power, bravado and self-aggrandisement, Putin admitted he should have prepared more for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Deterring Russian aggression

Today in the UK, many people view the Ukraine conflict as a distant event, one that is unlikely to affect this country directly. So increasing military spending, when the economy is struggling and public services are crumbling, may not seem like a priority.

Keir Starmer has said the government will increase the defence budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP, but not when this will happen. In an interview we publish today, Labour MP Graeme Downie said that target should be viewed as a “floor, not a ceiling”. “If you look at Estonia, Poland, Finland, they're all increasing their military spending. There's a reason for that... They know they need to deter Russian aggression.” He’s right.

When Donald Trump returns to the White House next month, he could decide to drop support for Ukraine and withdraw the US from Nato. If this happens, the UK will need to rapidly rearm, increase energy security and take steps to protect the economy from the knock-on effects of any escalation in the conflict.

As a confident Putin sneers at the West, our military weakness is making the world a more dangerous place. Unlike the warmonger in the Kremlin, we must be prepared.