Not for the first time, I find myself out-of-sync with the rest of this Forum. It appears to me that Russia is winning - slowly - and I think the reaction in the West has been ridiculous, and at times, quite offensive. Ukraine is not a NATO member state or a Member State of the European Union (which has its own defence co-ordination). Thus, there is no obligation, legal or moral, on Britain or EU Member States to side with Ukraine.
Most people are relying on mainstream media sources for their information about this war and any rationale or explanation for Russia's actions. The problem with this is that the Western media will only report the 'NATO' point-of-view, which is essentially a Washington Beltway perspective on things, which means you are only hearing one side of the argument; and sure enough, some people on this thread are lapsing into the trap of demonising or monsterising Putin, rather than making an effort to understand the historical complexities and political nuances of the situation.
The UK and - to a large extent - the major European powers, have tagged along with the foolish policies of the United States, not always in their own interests. For example, Germany would greatly benefit from an alliance with Russia, but instead cancels Nordstream 2 and falls in line with Washington, D.C. It is true that Germany relies on the nuclear shield of NATO, but of what practical value is this? Nobody who understands the situation deeply seriously thinks that Putin has designs on eastern Germany.
Britain itself would benefit from a more favourable attitude to Russia, but instead pursues this ludicrous course of interfering with the sovereignty of Russia and the property rights of Russians with economic interests in the United Kingdom.
