Ukraine
Putin is bad, not mad
I wish people would not say Vladimir Putin is mad. One understands him much better if one says he is…
The war is redefining Poland’s place in the world
The war is redefining Poland’s place in the world
Letters: Britain must offer immediate sanctuary to Ukrainians
Unintended consequences Sir: The West has got it wrong when it comes to putting a stranglehold on Vladimir Putin (‘Putin’s…
Africa’s lessons for Ukraine
Kenya During Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 I got a close look at Moscow’s troops and their kit. These…
Portrait of the week: Zelensky channels Churchill, Russia blocks BBC and Bercow banned from parliament
Home President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine addressed a packed House of Commons by video, echoing Winston Churchill by declaring that…
Border farce: Britain is failing Ukraine’s refugees
Why is the UK putting up obstacles to deter Ukrainian refugees?
The courage on Ukraine’s front line
Central to the question of whether or not Ukraine can survive as an independent state is that of re-supply, not…
Boris Johnson rejects Europe’s open approach to Ukrainian refugees
One of the most extraordinary (and moving) videos to have emerged since the invasion of Ukraine shows scenes at Berlin…
Don't make war in Ukraine about Putin’s mental health
There was a time when supposedly serious commentators on world affairs used to at least feign historical knowledge. They might…
Why is the EU attacking Poland and Hungary in a crisis?
With Russian bombs harassing Kiev and Kharkiv, the two unsung heroes of Europe have been Poland and Hungary. With very…
Putin’s neo-communism is doomed to fail
It is responsible for inequality. For financial instability. And probably for poverty, racism and global warming as well. We have…
Chernobyl Two?
The electricity supply to the ruined nuclear plant at Chernobyl in Ukraine has been cut off. According to one knowledgeable…
Kamala invades Poland
You can tell that the Biden administration is getting serious. They have unleashed their ultimate weapon, cackle diplomacy. The warhead is…
Dostovesky and Putin’s useful idiots
When I was 17 I heard the name Dostovesky, and was enthralled. Just the name felt so glamorously intellectual, so…
What's behind Russia's new Z symbol?
National symbols are usually proudly emblazoned for all to see. That’s the point of them. One, though, seems rather to have…
Is the government in denial about the looming economic crisis?
The priority for the UK and other rich democracies is to protect the people of Ukraine from the depredations of…
In defence of mutually assured destruction
The slow return of the 1980s has reached its logical conclusion. The prospect of nuclear annihilation is haunting our nightmares once…
Why is Britain so useless at helping Ukrainian refugees?
Some MPs were in tears yesterday when President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the House of Commons, and understandably so, given the…
British fighters in Ukraine are brave but misguided
The first British volunteers have arrived in Ukraine to ‘do their bit’ in thwarting the Russian invasion. According to reports…
Putin is bored
At the beginning of this year, Vladimir Putin was sitting comfortably in the Kremlin: his legacy so far a steady…
Zelensky's address was strange, but sensational
This afternoon, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the House of Commons. A single flat-screen TV broadcast his speech to…
‘We will fight in the forests, the fields, the shores and in the streets’: Zelensky addresses the Commons
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was greeted with applause and a standing ovation this evening when he appeared before the House…
Could Turkey rejoin the West?
Istanbul, Turkey Wherever you go in Istanbul, Atatürk is rarely far away. Portraits of the man who founded the Turkish…
Putin miscalculated. Let’s not do the same
Only the Russian people can decide how long Putin remains in the Kremlin, but the invasion of Ukraine will likely…
Russia’s war on Ukraine: the lessons so far
The sheer complexity – and horror – of Russia’s war on Ukraine makes it difficult to distil the essential points. To take…
