British public and politicians must continue to stand by Ukraine no matter what

Do not flinch

IT is critical for the continued security and prosperity of the West that, despite the recent focus on Israel, we do not lose sight of Ukraine.

It is engaged in a heroic struggle against tyranny which it MUST win for our sakes as well as its own.

Some may scoff at President Zelensky’s warning to The Sun that Russian victory could trigger World War 3. But he’s right.

Ukraine is not the limit of Putin’s imperialist ambitions.

If he can muster the strength and the allies, he will keep coming.

He has admitted he dreams of establishing, via conquest, a new Russian empire spanning Europe.

That will mean direct ­confrontation with nuclear-armed Nato.

And the Kremlin wouldn’t be the only dictatorship emboldened by stealing Ukraine.

China too dreams of expansion by force, starting with Taiwan.

These despots must be faced down.

It is depressing to see American voters losing heart, drifting into isolationism and assuming that they can remain untouched by hostilities in Europe.

That complacency is sheer folly, just as it was early on in both world wars, and we hope any would-be Presidents will spell it out.

Indeed America’s role in the defeat of the Nazis, and later its Cold War crushing of the Soviet empire, were pivotal to decades of freedom and wealth under a rules-based world order only now being seriously challenged.

Brits, though — if polls are correct — ARE still ready to make economic sacrifices to ensure that Ukraine’s battle to remain independent and free prevails over Putin’s barbarism.

It is sadly true that Ukraine’s forces have made slow progress of late.

But, as Zelensky says, we cannot expect real wars to proceed as smoothly as a movie.

And it only helps Putin for the West to be dispirited and distracted by Gaza and the Balkans, which is why he funds conflict there.

The public, and our politicians, must not flinch. Arms and aid must keep flowing to Ukraine.

Its troops fight for us too.

Grow for it

BARELY a day goes by without a left-wing economist or pundit sneering that basket-case Britain will soon be in recession.

It’s almost as if they want one, to make the Tories look bad.

2

Our economy’s resilience must be as big a disappointment to them as voters so often are.

Now, admittedly, growth is not great. But we are not in recession.

And inflation HAS more than halved, as Rishi Sunak pledged.

With that pressure eased, now is the time to press the accelerator.

The tax burden on families and businesses is vast.

The PM and Jeremy Hunt must lift that dead-weight. Fears of tax cuts fuelling inflation are overblown.

Don’t tinker on Wednesday, Chancellor.

Wield the axe . . . and let’s get growing.