It looks very much to me like Starmer is grandstanding well above his weight and this summit is a sign of European panic stations.

Starmer has currently got Tony Blair's foreign policy fingerprints all over him, he's obviously been having a lot of words in his ear in recent days.

I do think Zelensky would accept British and European forces ending up into that meat grinder too, our leaders that must never let that happen. Our support cannot simply be unconditional.

Instead of running to King Charles perhaps he should be doing what the NATO boss said, getting back on track with Trump rapidly.

It beggars belief that he talks about finding a 'step by step means of ending the war'. As far as I'm aware, three years in and it's the first time I've heard any European leader talk about such a thing. Before that it's just been 'we will send more arms to Ukraine'. That's been it.

There's just been this aimless 'we support Ukraine'. The cost - human and financial - has been obscene. And only now do they actually seem to be focussing on finding an end to it.

This is the party leader who demanded an inquiry about people eating a birthday cake during lockdown. What about an inquiry about successive governments, and oppositions, allowing a war partly-funded by the UK to drag on until most of Europe's military resources have been so drained they've never been weaker since 1945, and there's been little but virtue-signalling gestures for three years instead of serious, rigorous and practical discussions about finding a solution?

Blair is pulling the strings and Charles just agrees because the Royal Family is becoming less irrelevant. If there was a referendum to scrap the monarchy it would be Yes again.

The combined military might and wealth of the European countries far outweighs Russia's depleted finances and weapons.

There may be something in one military expert's claim that this is the reason Putin lover Trump is bent on trying to make Ukraine capitulate.

Green Man wrote:
the Royal Family is becoming less irrelevant. If there was a referendum to scrap the monarchy it would be Yes



Not the outcome of a poll about two years ago - which recorded support of almost 60% for the monarchy.


www.politics.co.uk/reference/monarchy/

Like polls are accurate.

Usually - a lot more than the opinion of an individual - without data/recent information.

hedda wrote:
The combined military might and wealth of the European countries far outweighs Russia's depleted finances and weapons.

There may be something in one military expert's claim that this is the reason Putin lover Trump is bent on trying to make Ukraine capitulate.


This may be the case but unlike the Russian leadership under Putin which doesn't much care about a few thousand deaths of their young people each week, simple collateral damage, their lives meaningless to Putin, the European democracies in this day and age would never tolerate such sustained massive casualties going on and on indefinitely.

Trump said this evening that 2,700 troops had been killed just last week, and that didn't even include any casualties of the Russian missile and drone strikes. Unsure if this was combined Russian/Ukrainian numbers or just one side's, but I found myself shouting at the screen "you know who to blame for all those deaths don't you, PUTIN!!!"

Al Gershwin wrote:
Green Man wrote:
the Royal Family is becoming less irrelevant. If there was a referendum to scrap the monarchy it would be Yes



Not the outcome of a poll about two years ago - which recorded support of almost 60% for the monarchy.


www.politics.co.uk/reference/monarchy/

Well the Republic referendum in Australia over 20 years ago flopped. Which I always think is odd with half the country born elsewhere in countries with no connection to Britain or the Monarchy.

We're promised another Referendum within the next 4 years but I still think it will be the same result.

I don't think the UK would ditch the Royals but I do think their excesses are quite shameful and need kerbing.