THE PAPER TIGER AND THE RUSSIAN BEAR

NATO’s naive and supine reponse will not drive Putin’s army from Ukraine and emboldens Moscow still further, says Patrick Mercer

THEY LAUGHED AT ME WHEN I MADE a speech in the House of Commons in 2014 during one of the interminable European debates. I explained I had no wish to remain in the EU because I’d seen a clear desire by the United States and some EU member states to pick a fight with Russia. I used to be a frequent visitor to Crimea and earlier that year I had witnessed the Russians occupy Sebastopol and shocking, unexpected fighting in Kyiv. I tried to explain the complexities of this to my audience, but they were more interested in fishing quotas than gunfire as I trembled at the idea that Britain, then a member of the EU, might be dragged into a war with Russia. Well, Brexit or no Brexit, we…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2024

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