To think we cannot afford to support Ukraine anymore

[Saysomething1234]

This may be an unpopular opinion but it is annoying me to no end and NC

We have a littany of issues crying out for funding domestically - NHS broken. Economy going down the drain. Pound down 20% in one year. Public services collapsing, Education system requiring re-investment, high taxes driving talent out. We can keep blaming our politicians but someone needs to prioritise where money goes - and no one is willing to talk about this

Yet we are spending hundreds of billions in supporting Ukraine in a war which has nothing to do with us. Yes we are morally supporting them but is there no amount which will be too much? We are paying both directly (through weapons and aid) and indirectly (through huge energy subsidies - last totalling north of £200bn) - we need to stop this spending, reduce energy prices, stop this craziness

How is this war something we can afford on the basis on principles and why aren't we more aggressively pushing for a negotiated settlement?

We cannot afford this. It sucks for Ukrainians but this is not UK's bill to foot.

AIBU?

While I do not necessarily agree with the OP, how does our contribution compare (either on a per country or per capita basis) with other Western European countries - France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Scandinavian countries? The arguments in the thread so far are as valid for all European countries - is the contribution of money and weapons / value of weapon similarly balanced?

We are all absolutely fucked if Putin wins. I guess you'd be on the Chamberlain side of the argument in 1938.

Exactly - this war has everything to do with us. This is our war. We cant afford not to fight it. And thank God we are fighting it by sacrificing central heating and luxury deserts, rather than our homes and our sons and husbands.

Yup. Uk cannot support itself, never mind others

This is a proxy war and it involves us too . Ukraine is a major food producer and has natural resources access to the black sea. You let Russia take over and we lose access to those resources. Also it's appeasement and telling Vlad that he can go on trying to make a soviet union mark 2.

Yes, you are being unreasonable.

How much would you pay for your freedom? Multiply that by the UK population and that would be the limit I’d suggest. Because that’s what you risk losing if Russia continues taking territory by force with no one willing to intervene… Because it’s not directly our problem until it’s too late

Have a think about the cost if we didn’t support Ukraine. We’d all be speaking Russian by Christmas next year, comrade.

The West never fucking learns. The world is in such a state because the US and its allies keep escalating local conflicts into huge and profitable wars.

We have no choice
You think things are not too good now ? You do realise they could be much worse

Russia has already got away with occupying Georgia...since 2008, Moldavia since 1992 and is in dispute with Japan over the Kuril Islands...Putin wants to build another Soviet Union at some point something has to be done

We appeased Putin so much already!

How about reclaiming some of the monies our incompetent leaders have wasted / fraudulently awarded (to their friends) etc etc?

Ukraine is not in NATO. we have no obligation to defend it. sucks for ukraine but pretty simple.

It's not the west who has been annexing other countries now . Georgia , Moldova , Crimea , now trying the whole of Ukraine. . No wonder the former Eastern bloc wanted to join NATO.

www.statista.com/chart/amp/28489/ukrainian-military-humanitarian-and-financial-aid-donors/

is an interesting chart. It dies suggest that the UK is perhaps contributing disproportionately compared with others. I completely accept hat we should support Ukraine, but am not sure why we as a country should do so disproportionately compared with other mainland European countries?

Ok, say we give up on Ukraine. Putin gains confidence. He starts maybe next on Moldova. Then maybe Finland - he's in the EU. Then he gets even more emboldened and takes on Poland. Where are you happy for it to end? Or should we, as we are, throw everything behind Ukraine to nip this Russian expansionism in the bud? What do you think our quality of life would be like with Russia controlling half of Europe? I wager a cost of living pinch would be something you would long for.

It has resources we need access to food for instance. Putin isn't going to want to share is he.

NATO is where line is drawn. simple.

History tells us that isolationism doesn't work

^ i don't think OP understands the socioeconomic consequences of a series of individual conflicts with Russia.

It's not like Britain alone is footing this bill. Ireland has 65,000 Ukrainian refugees and we had a massive housing crisis before they arrived. Most of these Ukrainians are on 208 a week, 220 following the budget, plus children's allowance and whatever else but I'm not begrudging it to them. Just acknowledging that it is a huge expense and I don't know where the money is coming from. I agree that we have to support Ukraine. Putin is to blame for this.

Not by GDP.

You’re very naive if you think our involvement in this war is altruistic.

Because a negotiated settlement will mean Ukraine handing over a swathe of land to its Imperialist neighbour and Putin will take that as a blank cheque to move into other bordering countries - Poland, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania for example.

Then where?

Tell me, if Russia decided to invade the UK would you be happy to hand over part of the country in a "negotiated settlement" or would you prefer that other countries came to our aid. Where would you suggest became Russian - perhaps cut off the South West and hand it over or maybe they could have a nice big chunk of the North East? Maybe your local area would like to volunteer thought not

Would you find it acceptable to watch your daughter being raped, your son being murdered in the street, your liberty being curtailed, your food (and washing machine) being stolen, your heating systems being destroyed and your homes being decimated while the rest of the world stood by saying "nothing to do with us"

I don't want to watch Putin and his band of not so merry men marching through Europe - supporting this war is expensive but not supporting it could be catastrophic. Russia has to be stopped in Ukraine - they have to have their imperialist ambitions crushed or how far will they go?

OP you don't seem to have responded to what people are saying about the cost if we don't support Ukraine. Do you think there is any danger to the UK longer term if Russia is successful, either in part or fully? Do you think there are any other consequences to the UK, such as risk to energy supply?

You don’t think very deeply do you? Yes, the U.K. is just spending money to be nice and help Ukraine