View from London: “I have never met a responsible soldier on either side of the Atlantic who supposed that Ukraine could achieve an absolute win”

Most European governments, including our own, hate and fear Donald Trump. Yet though nobody would say so, even behind the arras, they see one big reason to welcome him into the White House. He will get them off the hook in Ukraine and take most of the blame for its betrayal, writes ‘The Times’ observer Max Hastings.

It has been obvious for months that President Putin has won his gamble, to show that he is tougher and nastier than the decadent West. The European nations, amid economic woes much influenced by energy costs, are desperate to get Russian oil and gas flowing our way again. They are frankly bored with Ukraine.

Moreover, surprising people in Washington, London and elsewhere are murmuring: “Why are we keeping this thing going when there’s no hope of a Ukrainian victory?” On Wednesday I heard a British general say just that, and last week an impeccably liberal commentator sang the same song to me.

Contrarily, some of us who are unwavering supporters of Ukraine have been exasperated by the conservative bigmouths who since 2022 have predicted Russia’s collapse. I have never met a responsible soldier on either side of the Atlantic who supposed that Ukraine could achieve an absolute win over this vastly bigger nation, whatever weapons we give them.

Last month Vladimir Putin said that there will be no trades; that he will have peace on his own terms or not at all. Does he mean this, and if so what will those terms be? The Russians hold one-fifth of Ukraine’s 2014 sovereign territory. There is no prospect of them yielding their bloodstained gains. They have inflicted on President Zelensky’s land devastation that will cost hundreds of billions to make good, not a rouble of which will come from Moscow.

Much of the world — not only Putin’s avowed allies — rejects the western democracies’ Janet-and-John view, that we represent virtue while the Russians represent evil. Many people demand: what about Vietnam? Iraq, Afghanistan?

And other places. I am not here seeking to ignite that argument, merely remarking that much of the world does not see the cause of Zelensky’s people as the moral crusade we envision.

Even before any truce talks, we should consider how we got here. It was never plausible to empower the Ukrainians to escalate without limit, against a nuclear-armed Russia. The Europeans have since 2022 made promises to Kyiv about weapons, many of which have gone unfulfilled, not least by us the British, so mistakenly complacent about our contribution.

Although some aid has flowed, we have left the US to take most of the strain, to the tune of $175 billion. Trump is right about one big thing: for many decades, Europeans have relied on the Americans to provide most of our security. Who can be surprised that they have now had enough? On this issue, the future would be little different had Kamala Harris won the presidency.

There will be no reason for Donald Trump and his admittedly terrifying associates to treat Europe with respect if we continue to prostrate ourselves in the path of both friends and foes.

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