Ukraine
Portrait of the week: US and Russia talk, Chiltern Firehouse burns and Duchess of Sussex rebrands
Home Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, said that, to guarantee the security of Ukraine, he was ‘ready and willing’…
My Valentine’s Day car crash
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, is not a MAGA groupie, but a believer in the Nato alliance. He…
Modernisation has sent Russia spinning back to the Stone Age
Howard Amos portrays a once hopeful country now sweeping the past under the carpet as it alternates between pitying itself and pitting itself against the rest of the world
The US and Russia must not force Ukrainian elections
After four hours of talks in Saudi Arabia, Russian and American negotiators have reportedly come up with a three-stage plan to…
Europe cannot be surprised by Trump’s approach to Ukraine
There’s something about Donald Trump that sends Europeans mad. The President and Vladimir Putin agreed last week to commence talks…
Trump is like Shakespeare’s Fool
President Trump’s role in relation to other countries resembles that of the Fool in Shakespeare. He provides a sort of…
Portrait of the week: Shoplifting surges, Trump eyes Gaza Strip and Norway’s government collapses
Home Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, flew to Brussels for an EU summit, sought a ‘reset’ of relations and…
There’s only one way to end the war in Ukraine
Donald Trump has told Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. ‘Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous war!’ he…
Where have Russia’s Zs gone?
A social media post on 30 December: photographs of admittedly-splendid new year decorations in Moscow, archly captioned ‘back to 2021.’…
Portrait of the year: Subpostmasters scandal, Rishi in the rain and Syrian rebels topple regime
January After an ITV drama, the government suddenly proposed to do something about the unjust prosecution of sub-postmasters. Junior doctors…
The joy of our village Christmas play
We are just recovering from the village play. This annual Christmas event was taken over last year by our son…
Steven Pinker: The inside story of my Covid ‘bio bet’
Betting men Sir: The bet between Martin Rees and me that Matt Ridley recounts pits two kinds of scruples of…
Why is Poland building a barrier with Ukraine?
A ceasefire in Ukraine is far from being agreed, yet Poland is already preparing for its collapse. In recent months,…
Is Ukraine heading towards a Korean-style demilitarised zone?
It is the strangest place, the demilitarised zone (DMZ) that separates South Korea from North Korea. It is simultaneously a…
The deepening unpopularity of Zelensky
Perhaps all political careers must end, inevitably, in failure. But few politicians have had careers as meteoric, as surprising, as…
Biden’s missiles will do Ukraine no favours
With just over 60 days left in office, Joe Biden’s White House has significantly escalated the Ukraine war it had…
Portrait of the week: Rising inflation, electric car targets and a tax on flatulent livestock
Home Thousands of farmers protested in Westminster against inheritance tax on farms. Tesco, Amazon, Greggs and 76 other chains belonging…
Here’s what Putin wants from Ukraine
Donald Trump is still two months away from becoming the 47th president of the United States, and yet his return to…
Could Ukraine go nuclear?
Should Ukraine have nuclear weapons? This is a question that was raised, a little insincerely, by President Zelensky recently as he…
Could Trump save Ukraine?
One thousand days into Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, three facts seem to be evident. First, Russia is losing.…
Ukraine will make the most of its new firepower
Overnight, the news of Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles on Russian soil has been sinking in.…
What will Putin do about Biden’s parting gift to Ukraine?
At the very moment most people seem to have forgotten of his existence, President Biden has slowly but purposefully shuffled…
How quickly would Trump wash his hands of Ukraine?
For American politicians, all wars are two-front wars. There is a hot battlefield somewhere in the Middle East or the…
Meet the western conservatives moving to Russia
Tofurious Maximus Crane was sitting in a barber’s chair in Moscow when he received the greatest news of his life.…
Can Zelensky and Putin do a deal?
Warring parties often strike deals. Exchanges of prisoners, ceasefires to deliver aid, covert talks between intelligence services – and eventually,…
