Leon Cook is the Founder of Atticus Partners, a communications, public relations, and public affairs agency based in London. He sits on the board of Conservatives Abroad.
As the Government marches towards its July 4th polling day, one record they can be proud of is the United Kingdom’s steadfast support for Ukraine. Since the beginning of Russia’s illegal invasion, the UK has led the way answering Ukraine’s call for aid, refusing to bow down to threats of escalation from the Russian president. It is a record we can be proud of and must remain a key tenant for our case for re-election as we highlight the dangerous alternative of foreign policy directed by the left.
From long-range missiles to battle tanks, the UK has been bold to call Putin’s ‘bluff’ and supply Ukrainians with the equipment needed to protect their homeland. Whilst standing up to the schoolyard bully, we have proved to a timid EU that the game Putin wants to play is less ‘Russian Roulette’ and can be matched with strength. Despite leaving the European Union, the United Kingdom is again leading from the front, not being dragged down by bureaucracy and having the freedom to act decisively.
The UK continues to train Ukrainian soldiers and officers in 21st-century warfare. Successive Prime Ministers have ensured that the Ukrainian Government has always understood that they are not in this fight alone. Other members of the global coalition have not been so unwavering in their support. Like in 1939, the UK has understood what it feels like to be stood alone against a greater and more ruthless foe coming to eradicate the very idea of you.
Only Vladimir Putin knows whether his next target would be Georgia, Moldova, or the Baltic States. The vacuum of decisive national leadership at the heart of the EU is more damaging than the leaders of France and Germany realise, and their hesitancy is enabling Putin to play these dangerous games. The same could also be argued by those on the fringes of America’s Republican Party.
European leaders, including the heads of state and governments of France and Germany, have been dragging their feet. Emmanuel Macron has talked an impressive game, perhaps to help further the notion of an EU with France as the central partner, but has so far failed to back up these strong words with actions. Germany also seems to be suffering from a post Angela Merkel vacuum, forgetting its responsibility as the economic powerhouse of the continent to lead the way ahead of smaller nations.
As Ukraine faces another Russian onslaught, Germany delays the delivery of Europe’s ‘Leopard 2’ tanks and prevents other nations such as Poland from releasing their own. This appeasement of Russian aggression will not result in lasting peace for the continent or Ukraine. Strength must be matched through strength and empty threats cannot cause so much alarm as to abandon a country to the aggressor.
I recently visited Bucha, in Ukraine – a town that now has a dark history. It was the location where 458 men, women, and children were barbarically murdered at the hands of Russian soldiers in 2022. Many were discovered in a mass grave with their hands tied behind their back and being shot at close range. It’s a harrowing story that is frequently told as new sites and evidence of massacres, executions, and war crimes are discovered as the war goes on, including in Kharkiv currently.
Whilst there I also spoke with Ukrainian officials regarding their efforts beyond the battlefield. As outlined in ‘Zelenskyy’s Peace Plan’ the drive to repatriate abducted Ukrainian children from Russia, is evidence of one of the most heinous war crimes that can be committed. These kidnapped children are case and point for further evidence that Russia aims to eradicate the Ukrainian identity and state in its entirety.
European leaders will again have the opportunity to come out of the shadows, follow up on their words and actions, and join Zelenskyy at the International Peace Summit in Switzerland in June. Here global leaders will meet to create a path to reinstating international law and building a way towards the end of the brutal invasion. The EU and the United States must take the lead in using all their diplomatic skills to engage with nations less invested in the conflict and use every opportunity to do so.
By following their words with actions and delivering the much-needed equipment to Ukrainian troops struggling under the weight of the renewed Russian offensive, European nations can emulate the UK and provide the leadership it so desperately seeks. The time for the dragging of heels is over. It is not just Ukraine on the line – it is the West as we know it. Europe must get its act together and it must do so now.
