To think we cannot afford to support Ukraine anymore

Let me guess how you voted in the EU referendum, op...

I think our support has been as strong as it has been partly because of the US position, and also because of Boris Johnson's need last year to appear the hero, or allied to one. I think we can't afford to contribute as much as we do currently, whilst people are dying here. It's right to contribute, but we need to remember that it isn't in fact our war. People talk as though it is. I'm happy to contribute, but if someone in my family couldn't eat or get care because of the money spent on foreign aid there, i admit I wouldn't be happy.

You are being massively disingenuous by suggesting that the energy subsidies are part of a financial support package for Ukraine. Which is why I, and many other posters, think you're posting from a Russian bot farm.

The UK has committed £2.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine. Not "hundreds of billions".

Even if we stopped providing financial support tomorrow, the government would still have to provide energy subsidies to prevent economic and social meltdown. So get out of here with your Russian propaganda.

We can't afford not to. If Putin is not stopped he will go for another country next, maybe Moldova.

There's no resources in Afghanistan of course not.

Apologies if this has been posted already...Jens Stoltenberg speaking from the heart a few days ago:

twitter.com/nato/status/1548994505118031873?lang=en

Closing comment:

"The price we pay as the EU, as #NATO, is the price we can measure in currency, in money. The price they pay is measured in lives lost every day. So, we should stop complaining and step up and provide support, full stop.❞

Hope that helps the OP.

It was not a legal referendum.

I think it's widely accepted now that letting Putin take Crimea was a mistake. It didn't pacify him, it just allowed him to think Europe and the US would let him take further action.

And now here we are.

Like others have said, I don't think we can afford NOT to intervene in Ukraine. It's not about the short term bills but the long term danger of allowing Putin to expand his territory and take resources. The idea of a negotiated settlement is bloody terrible tbh. What's bits of Ukraine do you think are acceptable for Russia to take?

It's also about the global stage , China will be watching this conflict with interest. If the invasion had gone well and the west appeased what's the bet china would quickly invade Taiwan ? It's about trade , Ukraine isn't Afghanistan it has lots of resources ones which Russia wouldn't be keen to sell to us. This is a proxy war between west Vs east.

Ah, you are referencing the indirect cost of the war, rather than our military cost. My mistake.

in which case - doesn’t matter. if we ended our support to Ukraine tomorrow, we would still be in an energy crisis as the price hikes are here to stay.

YANBU.

Interesting how we never made this much effort for the brown countries

What are our capabilities to defend against intercontinental ballistic missile attack? Does our systems in place have the capability to shoot down an ICBM?

Stuart Ray, senior analyst at McKenzie Intelligence:

There is no real credible capability to shoot down an incoming intercontinental ballistic missile. No nation really has a credible capability in this respect.

Whilst anti-ballistic missile technology exists, current technological advances do not stretch to a capable system to protect against even a limited ICBM attack.

Read about Hitler and appeasement and how well that worked out for the whole of Europe…And could you enlighten us on the logic of energy prices going down if we stop supporting Ukraine? Will the gas start flowing again? Or are you actually suggesting making up with Putin?

Can we afford not to?

Not today, Putin.

Saysomething1234 as a uk taxpayer your best bet is to help Ukraine as much as possible with weapons. That way they will win quickly and food and energy prices will fall again. Russia will be contained and Xi will be discouraged.

Alternatives are that the war drags on for years (because Ukraine and the Eastern Europeans won't give up just because we do) or in the worst case scenario Russia wins. They could then move on the Baltic states or Poland later dragging us into an expensive and deadly confrontation. Or Xi might be encouraged to invade Taiwan causing yet more disruption to the world economy and danger.

Uk isn't even the highest contributor and what do you mean the EU countries seem quiet compared to UK?

Re stopped with diplomacy- how?

The UK aren’t supporting Ukraine because something ‘terrible’ has happened. Yes there is humanitarian support, but also military support.

The UK have a vested interest in making sure Russia doesn’t take Ukraine. Global politics is complex and western countries interests are intertwined. It’s silly to think that the UK’s obligations and interests are confined to fighting on the soil of a NATO country.

As a pp has said, this is a proxy war. It’s a war against Russia, being fought in Ukraine.

Absolutely this.

We can’t afford not to support Ukraine.

Do you not understand that the gas prices are going up, not because the Uk are not buying Russian gas, but because Europe, US, et al are not buying the gas/oil.

They tried to appease Hitler to save the UK from war/war costs- it never works. Putin is facing a shattered economy and the Russian people a totalitarian state. The only way Putin can survive is to continue to expand his glorious “motherland”.

after Ukraine, how about E Germany? Poland? Hungary? After all they were once part of the old Russian empire.

if Eastern Europe start to fall, the cost to the UK will be far more than increased gas bills and food going up - the UK will then be committed to putting soldiers on the ground. UK soldiers will die. Oh and our current prices will seem cheap. Or… we can accept the financial costs of supporting Ukraine.

We can’t afford not to support Ukraine

The residents of Crimea voted overwhelmingly to become part of Russia.

And yes OP, this war could be stopped with diplomacy but as you can see, the Ukraine issue is viewed with emotion rather than logic.

YABU just for saying something as egregiously glib as 'it sucks for Ukraine'. Are you seeing the same news reports? It 'sucks' to have to cancel a holiday because of a rail strike, not because your hometown has been razed to the ground.