Lord Skidelsky has faced sharp criticism from fellow peers over his remarks on Ukraine, with Labour’s Lord Anderson accusing him of failing to condemn Russia’s invasion and offering an overly sympathetic view of both President Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
During a debate in the Lords, Skidelsky questioned the UK’s continued support for Ukraine, arguing that the Trump administration had “torn up the familiar script” and suggesting that “there was never going to be a Ukrainian victory.”
He also claimed that “words such as ‘unprovoked’, ‘full-scale’, ‘barbaric’ and ‘criminal’… closed the door to diplomacy.”
His comments sparked immediate backlash. Lord Anderson hit back, saying: “The noble Lord again ploughs his eccentric but consistent furrow. I heard not a scintilla of criticism of President Putin, nor indeed of the invasion of the state of Ukraine.”
Anderson also warned against downplaying Russia’s threat, arguing that security guarantees for Ukraine were essential to prevent Moscow from capitalising on its military advantage.
Meanwhile, Skidelsky’s remarks about Trump’s “active search for peace” and his claim that “if he does succeed in ending the war, he will richly deserve the Nobel Peace Prize” were met with scepticism.
As the debate continued, peers questioned whether the UK government’s stance on Ukraine would shift in response to the changing approach in Washington. However, there was strong consensus that the UK should continue its support for Kyiv and that Russia could not be rewarded for its aggression.
the man with the Russian ancestry sides with Russia. shocker
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….and he backed Corbin’s leadership campaign some years ago. A man of very poor judgement.
Having ancestry in some country doesn’t mean at all that the person supports what that country is doing to other countries now, although the ancestry of Lord Skidelsky is likely the reason for what he says about the war in Ukraine I have some Russian ancestry myself, and I want Ukraine to win 100 % (meaning Russia out of every square km of legitimate Ukrainian land, damages caused by Russia fully paid, sanctions not lifted until Russia has committed 100 % through water tight treaties that it’s not going to invade any country anymore and sanctions brought back fully if Russia shows any signs of preparing to invade another peaceful country).
‘ …and that Russia could not be rewarded for its aggression.’
In a nutshell. President Trump’s mockery threats to Canada and Greenland and President Xi’s towards Taiwan are in similar vein. A dangerous course in an unstable world that cannot be ignored.
‘unprovoked’, ‘full-scale’, ‘barbaric’ and ‘criminal’. Sounds about right. That’s what he thinks closes the door to diplomacy, whereas sending tanks and NLAWS and billions of quids worth of missiles, that hasn’t? Although I suppose the truth can be difficult to hear, Pres Putin must have a very thin skin if those words hurt him more than a Storm Shadow missile. However, one diplomacy door is always still open and Pres Zelensky will take our call.
We picked our side and we should be unapologetic. We are never going to act as an honest broker between an ally and an enemy. (There’s another truthful word his Lordship won’t like. Enemy.) Putin has made Russia our enemy. Putin won’t trust us and we shouldn’t trust him. If he says the sky is blue, go outside and check to see if he picked your pockets while saying it.
Skidelsky probably understands and gives due credence to the complicated recent history of Ukraine. In particular he knows that Russia’s reasons for its invasion were well known in advance and that therefore it was possible to have avoided it. That early peace efforts were negated by Boris Johnson’s flight to Kyiv is less well known. The war was unnecessary, Ukraine was always destined to lose it. Common sense is needed and Skidelsky has it in spades. The Lords would do well to listen instead of parroting the government’s narrative.
Or maybe, just maybe, and given all the evidence the last three years and more – we can recognise that Russia has persecuted an unprovoked, full-scale, barbaric and criminal war against a sovereign people.
The only way to have avoided the war was to have rolled over to Putin. That cannot happen. Skidelsky has about as much common sense as a crowbag private soldier with their first field Army pay in their account after eight pints on a Friday night.
We must always fight against oppressors – not side with them.
It absolutely was an unprovoked, full-scale, barbaric and criminal invasion against a sovereign country.
However, all we’re really doing with military aid is prolonging the inevitable, unless a peace deal is reached. The time for Ukraine to have won militarily has come and gone, and the time for Ukraine to negotiate from a position of strength has also passed. A war of attrition favours Russia not the Ukrainians. I don’t think Putin should be appeased but, how far do you sail Ukraine down the river that it has no way of getting back from?
The Russians are also putting terms forward for the ceasefire that Ukraine won’t be able to accept, because Russia currently knows they’re the ones in the position of strength.
Kursk has all but completely collapsed, in their retreat abandoning Bradleys, Abrams and M-777’s amongst other Western kit and they’re advancing in various areas along the front daily. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that now is the time that Russia has chosen to push the Kursk front, with these negotiations going on, it was the only physical bargaining chip that the Ukrainians had.
Ukraine has serious manpower shortages that they should have addressed 12 months ago, they may not be in this position now if they had.
While I am no Russia fan, and anything that costs them is fine by me, I am not sure I would call the invasion into Ukraine, “unprovoked” – in someways it could not have been more provoked…
– “…in someways it could not have been more provoked…”
People often use the word “provoked” in this context to create ambiguity around the matter who is morally responsible for the invasion of Ukraine. In reality there’s no ambiguity. Nothing justified the invasion legally or morally. Russia and its moles used deception and thuggery to bring independent Ukraine inside the sphere of Russian control and authoritarian rule, but Ukraine luckily was able to reject the effort. That’s the “provocation” Ukraine is guilty of.
Of course the Russians in their typical manner spread stories about how the Russian ethnicity was treated terribly in Ukraine. That’s what they say about my country (Finland) too, although in reality few countries treat their minorities better than mine. How credible is it that Putin actually cares about the ethnic Russians in Ukraine considering how mercilessly he sends them to terrible death and suffering without letting them to decide whether they want it or not? And for what are they dying? To fulfill Putin’s megalomaniac ambition to make the largest country in the world even bigger.
You are either a Russian troll or a sucker who has let himself to be mislead by Russian disinformation. Whichever you are, you should wake up.
Non of that is true of course … Ukraine is a sovereign nation with a right to self determination… Ukraine was independent in the 1920s conquered by the bolsheviks its population starved and departed by Stalin… yes some nationalists sided with what they saw as the liberating German Army during operation Barbarossa but only because they had suffered the holodomir … look it up. Voted overwhelmingly for independence in 1991… even in the eastern Donbass and Crimea… since then Ukraine has suffered economic warfare perpetrated by Russia. Political assassinations and meddling in its elections. Yanuchovic was kicked out because he defied the will of the people and brought his henchmnen onto the streets to shoot down protesters prompting the Maidan… Putin wants to control Ukraine and get the Russian empire back. He has said and written as much… Its a land grab pure and simple. Putin doesn’t want Ukraine integration into the EU or the chance for NATO membership which was only brought up once Putin had annexed Crimea. No country should be able to coerce another and invading one’s neighbour committing war crimes such as Bucha should never be justified…