Notes

The UK government's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Madame Chair, as we approach the third year since Russia’s full-scale invasion, the UK’s support will not falter. During his visit to Kyiv earlier this month, my Prime Minister announced a package of support and reaffirmed the close UK-Ukraine partnership. This included £2.5 billion in military support and a historic long-term security agreement.

“Covid showed our ugly side, with people getting upset when all they were being asked to do was sit on the sofa at home,” said the former TA soldier. But he said Russian forces massed on the border were still missing some crucial elements - such as full logistical support, ammunition stocks, field hospitals and blood banks. It is the duty of the military to analyse that threat, and they still might be proved wrong. Indeed, for all the foreboding about societal collapse, facing a common threat could give Britain a new-found sense of unity – something many Ukrainians speak of. The defence alliance, which counts the UK, US and many European countries as members, has also condemned Belarus for "enabling" the attack.
He said all major Russian banks will face a full UK asset freeze, which means they will not be able to access accounts, money or property in the UK. The Prime Minister said the UK was one of the first countries in Europe to send defensive weapons to help Ukraine. Russian forces launched a major military assault on Ukraine on Thursday morning, with reports of missile strikes and explosions near major cities. Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, this month repeated that the UK wants to increase defence spending from 2.1% of GDP to 2.5% in the future. “ https://euronewstop.co.uk/what-is-ukraines-neutral-status.html has a proud tradition of being a voluntary force and there is absolutely no suggestion of a return to conscription,” the MoD said, adding that £50bn was being invested in the military during the current year. Sanders has previously complained publicly and privately about defence cuts.

Russia-Ukraine tensions: UK warns of plot to install pro-Moscow ally
The Ukrainian president has published his income over a two-year period as part of a drive to promote transparency. Russia is India's largest arms supplier, but the war in Ukraine has limited Moscow's ability to provide munitions. Peter Szijjarto has arrived in Ukraine for talks with senior officials today. "But if Central/Eastern Europe felt abandoned by those powers, it's not hard to imagine a Polish or even a Ukrainian nuclear programme." "The nightmare scenario would be that the states close to Russia double down on aid to Ukraine while those farther west decide to force a deal on Putin's terms. Then Europe itself could fracture," he says. However, he warned of "chaos" if European states do not show enough unity and determination.

But European nations closer to Russian borders appear to be taking it more seriously. He said the UK's "baffling" decision to hold back sanctions until after Russia's incursion into Ukraine had not deterred Mr Putin. We will continue to work with Ukraine and our international partners for a just and sustainable peace. Russia's ambitions, he said, were not just about seizing territory but "about defeating our system and way of life politically, psychologically and symbolically".
Mr Johnson was among leaders of the G7 group of wealthy nations who met to discuss the situation. Earlier, the prime minister said on Twitter that the invasion was a "catastrophe for our continent". The UK and our allies condemn the Russian government’s unprovoked and premeditated invasion of Ukraine. The UK stands with Ukraine, its democratically-elected government and its brave people at this awful time. On Wednesday, the UK announced a package of sanctions against Russia as part of a co-ordinated Western response to the crisis. He chaired an emergency Cobra meeting earlier and will give a televised statement later on the UK's response to Russia's "unprovoked attack".

European Union
The conflict could push up British energy bills to £3,000 in October 2022, potentially a £600 increase from previously expected levels, according to ECIU. The UK gets just 5-6% of its gas imports from Russia, according to analysis of government data by think tank ECIU, so supplies are not likely to be so directly affected. A recent MoD survey found that just 34 per cent of service personnel said they felt valued while 46 per cent felt dissatisfied with the overall standard of their accommodation. The number of regular troops in the Army stands at 75,983, although defence sources insisted applications for the Army were at the highest they had been in six years.

Germany's Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, recently told a German newspaper "we have to take into account that Vladimir Putin might even attack a Nato country one day". British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden are among the leaders condemning the action. The UK's defence secretary has also warned that we need to be prepared for a war. A source told BBC political correspondent Nick Eardley the meeting was "tempestuous" and ended early after Ms Truss said the ambassador should be "ashamed" of Russia's behaviour in Ukraine, adding that the Kremlin had lied repeatedly. President Biden's virtual meeting with President Putin earlier this week was a start and will be followed up by more talks with other Nato members.
Washington has suggested that force could rise to 175,000 by the end of January. He points out that our digital networks are mainly cellular in structure, making it almost impossible to wipe them all at once. True Russian cyberwarfare capabilities have proved something of a damp squib in Ukraine. Far from crippling the entire national infrastructure, the worst they are known to have done is briefly disrupt power and mobile phone networks.


Some allies believe Sanders should have been promoted to replace Radakin, but he was asked to step down early after serving two of three years as army chief. During the speech in London, the army chief said the UK needed to broadly follow Stockholm’s example and take “preparatory steps to enable placing our societies on a war footing”. His message came a day after Russian-installed leaders in four regions of eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans for so-called referendums - starting this week - on joining Russia. Meanwhile, the US is struggling to pass a $100 billion military aid package for Ukraine amid Republican opposition, with defence sources warning that if Donald Trump wins the presidential race, it will hand Russia victory. If Russia did decide to invade Ukraine, the senior Western intelligence official said large numbers of people would be displaced.

UK nationals were advised two weeks ago to leave Ukraine while commercial flights were still available. Ukraine has said its goal for the talks is an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces from the country. The Ukrainian president has published his income over a two-year period as part of a drive to promote transparency. A spate of Ukraine-linked attacks on Russia's oil infrastructure have reportedly led Moscow's energy ministry to propose restricting flights over energy facilities. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has since advised all UK citizens to leave the country, but it is not known how many remain and the FCDO has declined to comment on numbers.
Whether people would be flocking into recruitment offices is open to question. According to a 2022 YouGov poll, only one in five Britons would volunteer for service in the event of an invasion. Britain has also allowed ammunition supplies to dwindle to “dangerously low levels,” according to a Parliamentary Defence Committee report. Gen Sir Richard Barrons, the former head of the British Joint Forces Command, told the committee that he doubted there were “sufficient munitions to sustain a high-intensity conflict for more than about a week”.


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