Britain’s fiery relationship with Russia could help Ukraine

Britain last night sent soldiers and hi-tech kit to bolster up Ukraine’s defences amidst the threat of a Russian invasion. But as well as preparing for war, the UK is also opting for jaw jaw with the Kremlin. For some, this is grounds for apoplexy, as – in the midst of arguably the most dangerous European security crisis since the end of the Cold War – Defence Secretary Ben Wallace invites his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, to visit Britain. But he’s absolutely right to do so.

No one is going to mistake Wallace for some closet Putinist, what the Germans call a Putinversteher, or ‘Putin understander.’ Indeed, the very same day as his announcement, presumably to make this point abundantly clear, he published an article accusing the Russian president of peddling myths and falsehoods as he seeks ‘the subjugation of Ukraine.’

For some there is something inherently wrong about extending an invitation to the man in charge of those 100,000 soldiers we are told are massing on Ukraine’s borders; a man who even