Donald Trump’s peace plan must not undermine Ukraine’s...

GIVING Putin an inch in reward for his barbarity is repugnant. But so is the idea of this terrible and apparently unwinnable war grinding on, claiming yet more innocent Ukrainian lives. Donald Trump is right to try to broker peace. But he cannot do so over President Zelensky’s head. Ukraine’s monumental resistance and his courage and leadership have earned him the right to be a partner in the talks, even if surrendering territory now occupied by Russia looks grimly inevitable.

Image Credit: The Sun [President Trump at a press conference.]

That said, what possible guarantee could anyone trust that Putin’s imperialist ambitions are satisfied?. With the US effectively withdrawing to focus on China, it has never been more urgent that Europe’s leaders including Keir Starmer snap out of their complacency on defence. It is not good enough to promise to hit a slightly greater spending target at some distant point. A far higher one, at least three per cent of our GDP, must be set immediately.

Image Credit: The Sun [Vladimir Putin seated at a desk.]

Russia may be preparing for war with Nato. It’s time to rearm and recruit. LABOUR is currently failing in its central mission to make us richer. We are getting poorer, as new official figures show. The economy grew just 0.1 per cent overall in the last quarter of 2024. Measured per person, we’re in negative territory. And how could we not be?. Last October’s Budget hiked already crippling taxes and hammered business confidence, investment and jobs.

The unproductive public sector has meanwhile been vastly inflated. Most of the £25billion extra found for the NHS was instantly swallowed by pay rises. Our economy is stagnant, the Treasury skint and we will now need billions more for defence. Rachel Reeves cannot raise taxes again. She must immediately find huge spending cuts. Start with foreign aid and welfare. THE assisted dying Bill deserves to fail.

We take no side on the issue itself. But it seems abundantly clear that only those opposed to it are genuinely interested in forensically examining its arguments and ramifications. The “for” lobby, led by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, appear driven by emotion, believing theirs is the side of “love”. They dismiss considered, detailed objections as “noise”. The examining committee is stacked in their favour.