Ukraine counting on EU wishful-thinking not actual US power

ECONOMIC security is national security, insisted Sir Keir Starmer in the House of Commons this week.

- Tim Newark

But is Labour really making the right choices to empower our economy so we can hold our own internationally? To fund our resurgent armed forces, we need a much stronger economic base.

The Prime Minister and his European allies have been very keen to rattle their sabres this week in support of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but how many of them fully understand their brittle blades are most likely made with steel from abroad or forged with energy imported from the countries they are railing against?

Donald Trump's dramatic decision to suspend all US military aid to Ukraine underlines how weak Britain and Europe really is in terms of defence.

The US accounts for almost half of all military funding to Ukraine, some $67billion compared to the $69billion from the rest of the world.

European nations would need to double their donations to come anywhere close to that. Equally, the US has sent more than 4.5 million artillery rounds, whereas the EU missed its target for supplying just one million shells.