To think we cannot afford to support Ukraine anymore

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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?

The OP won't answer which bit of the UK they'd relinquish for a negotiated settlement either, if really love to hear the answer to that too in truth.

@LivingDeadGirlUK the chart is slightly misleading as the Europeans are contributing twice, once through the EU budget and also individually. And the EU are the biggest donor after the Americans.

Falkland islands, if you must ask. if it saves the rest of the country.

For a supposedly defensive organisation, NATO has been picking this fight for a long time. This is from 2008 when Russia was considered to be no threat:

NATO welcomes Ukraine’s and Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO. We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlargement_of_NATO shows how close to Russia NATO now is.

Angela Merkel who had a large fan club, reference to a negotiated settlement, the reason for Germany being unable to to meet it's 2% NATO defence commitment and that buying Russian gas was good for German competitiveness here: www.politico.eu/article/angela-merkel-admit-failure-germany-defense-policy/

YADNBU.

@overworkedovertaxed and can you explain why independent, sovereign countries should not be allowed to join NATO?

Indeed. It’s amazing how many have completely bought in to the narrative that the invasion was sudden and unprovoked.
Accords were broken.

I blame how little people know about the Cold War. The US meddled everywhere and sowed division on a global scale. The world police, indeed!

Stop being disingenuous, nobody has suggested that the UK pay for all that is terrible in the world.

Fact is this war is on our doorstep and Russia’s aggression constitutes a fundamental challenge to the post-Cold War European security order and raises questions about what the Kremlin might try next. That is of interest to the UK and it's NATO and European allies.

Military support for Ukraine, along with political and economic sanctions, are ways in which the West can make clear to Moscow that there will be consequences for its aggression. The risk otherwise is that the Kremlin might undertake other actions that would further threaten European security and stability.

Would Moscow use military force against the Baltic states, which are members of NATO? Most likely not. But five years ago, the answer would have been a resounding “no.” Supporting Ukraine and imposing costs on Russia for its aggression help ensure that Moscow does not miscalculate in a way that would lead to deeper crisis.

The money being spent now by the US, UK and others is actually remarkably good value insofar as seeing Russia's much vaunted modernised forces being shown up as the corrupt paper tiger that it is and degraded to the point of ineffectiveness. Putin is increasingly isolated on the international stage and paranoid for his own safety domestically.

Throw into the mix the humanitarian crises of population flight and numerous reports of war crimes, rape and torture within occupied territories I am more then happy for UK tax payer money being used to push Russia back across its 2014 borders.

Do you honestly think Putin will just stop if he defeats Ukraine, OP?

This.

Before saying we cannot afford to help, it's worth knowing what not helping will cost us.

I honestly think there is no cost too much. He’s dropping bombs into homes, schools, orphanages, hospitals, executing thousands, using rape, torture etc and trying to starve and freeze the Ukrainians. He is pure evil and this is exactly what he wants - to see people start to turn on the idea of helping Ukraine.

So a country says to a dictator, ‘ ok then, you can have this, but we must insist you stop there.’ And the dictator does as you ask?

The UK does not have high taxes compared to other countries. This rhetoric is what the rich and politicians want us to believe.

The UK is not spending 'hundreds of billions' on Ukraine.

There is lots of money for us all the UK is very rich it's how they choose to spend that wenatj. This government is never going to send it on health and social care. And every government has a duty to act against dictators , rightly so

You seem to be able to discuss the intricacies of global gas prices, but fail to understand the very basics of global politics.

At this stage, there is no way I believe you are posting on good faith.

fwiw nearly 30% of people in the poll (now>500 people) agree with me - seems there are several people with doubts on UK's purse strings for Ukraine but the ultra aggressive woke defenders of Ukraine wont ever allow a debate for what the UK really can and cannot afford in the new world we live in

think again sheeple before mindlessly jumping up and down.

avoidable deaths in NHS due to lack of money are also real people dying - british citizens

Maybe because to ensure peace there has to be an agreement not to have Nato powers right on Russia's doorstep?

@Greenshake Because it might anger a nuclear power?

There was a little matter of Russian missiles on Cuba that didn't end well. Would the US be happy with Mexico or Canada hosting the Chinese military or would they be unwise to build such alliances?

Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan show how adding enormous amounts of military hardware and regime change work really well.

Any reason you didn’t choose South London?

or is it ok to leave Falkland Islands to it because it’s not where you live?

I read politics extensively but have the ability to doubt what is presented to me as a fait accompli

OP is not posting in good faith @StrawberryAnnie you've hit the nail on the head. Cretinous behaviour.

A couple of posters have mentioned diplomacy

How do they see it working?

Wait, actually, don’t bother responding.

Anyone who uses the word sheeple to denigrate people who have a differing opinion to themselves isn’t worth a discussion.

I agree