Ukraine lesson: Only America and the UK can be trusted

The Russian attack on Ukraine reveals the extent to which the fate of democracies lies in the hands of the United States and the United Kingdom. It is these two countries that have trained and supplied the Ukrainian army with money and weapons since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. In light of this knowledge, the Netherlands should strengthen relations with the two and stay away from rumors about the German-French EU army, he writes Guilty Warsma†

Remember when the majority of British and Northern Ireland voters voted for Brexit in 2016? Suddenly it was about ‘these Brits’. As if it was something dirty that had to be removed. And when you talk about “American conditions,” you mean it negatively. As if America is a ghost. But the British and Americans have always proven crucial to the survival of democracy, the rule of law, and freedom.

The United States, the United Kingdom, and a number of other English-speaking countries are the only democracies that are serious about protecting Western values. This is also evident in Ukraine these days. While Germany and France have been talking about the EU army and chatting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, it is the US and UK that have enabled Ukraine to defend itself.

The Ukrainians were strengthened by the training of America and the United Kingdom

Since the annexation of Crimea (2014) by Putin’s Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom have not only imposed the most severe sanctions, but have also said: stop, this far and no further. The Ukrainian army, completely demoralized in 2014, was taken over by hand, tens of thousands of Ukrainian military personnel were trained and officers were trained and the Ukrainian command structure was modernized so that the armed forces would be at NATO level by 2020.

As a result, the depressed Ukrainians regained their morale. In addition, a new strategy was developed. Ukraine has seen in conflict since 2014 that it will not have enough manpower and firepower to resist a Russian invasion. Both the Russian and Ukrainian militaries used the same Soviet doctrines of direct confrontation, so it’s the numbers who win: Russia. In short, the new strategy meant that Ukrainian soldiers would blast off with small groups and high-quality American and British weapons to eliminate Russian tank units, planes, and helicopters.