Labour has not come clean on Putin and Russia, it’s about time they did - Comment

Like many around the world, I pay close attention to the political situation in the UK and the US. As a Ukrainian, the political climate in both nations is of vital importance to us.

Both have been incredibly important allies in our fight against Putin and his murderous attempts to destroy my country.

Words cannot truly express the gratitude that I and most other Ukrainians feel for those who have helped us. However, there is cause for concern for Ukrainians in both countries.

The number of voices and commentators arguing against support for us is again on the rise and the current delays in Congress are worrying.

I and several others fear that support for Ukraine has become a political football in the partisan nature of US politics. We need stability and security from our stronger international partners like the US and UK now more than ever.

European dissent for support continues to grow and we need a powerful example to continue to be set to prevent more recalcitrant nations from abandoning us to the whims of an imperialist genocidal tyrant.

The UK has been our staunchest ally in the fight to defend our nation against Russia’s unprovoked invasion.

It is no exaggeration to say that they led the world by example and through their diplomatic efforts created a more supportive international community than we might have otherwise been presented with.

It is this post-Brexit Britain, with able support from Eastern European states, that cajoled a reluctant Europe into harsher anti-Russian sanctions and greater military support for our struggle.

The political landscape in Britain is shifting fast. Boris Johnson and Ben Wallace are no longer in power and there will be a general election next year. All signs point towards the Labour Party gaining power in that election.

There is great uncertainty in Ukraine about what the Labour Party stands for in the international arena. For all the travails of the Conservative Party, they have a clear position on Russia.

Labour has not yet set out its vision on important matters of international policy. I had hoped that Labour would use the party conference in Liverpool to step forward and prove that they are ready to take on the mantle of governance.

To show that they will keep an independent, outward-looking foreign policy that leads by example. A foreign policy that others follow and emulate.

International affairs have once again taken centre stage after Hamas’ horrendous assault on Israel. Yet, Keir Starmer mentioned almost nothing on the international stage during his keynote party conference speech.

This is ostensibly the party of a government-in-waiting. If they gain power, it will matter what their position is and will be in the future. Their policy decisions will have real-world impact in Europe and across the world.

Will they be a government that stands by previous international commitments to nations like Taiwan and Ukraine? Or will they be the herald for the end of international support for Ukraine and a turn to inward Western European isolation?

Will the Labour Party rally behind Israel, a nation once again under attack by vile terrorists who see no problem with heinous war crimes like weaponised rape in their attempts to eradicate Israel and all Jews from “the river to the sea”?

Too often, the West equivocates when discussing Israel – much as they equivocate when discussing Russian aggression. The lack of meaningful reaction has led to Russia’s invasion and Hamas’ strike on Israel. Ukraine will suffer from the withdrawal of British support. It will cost lives and shift the balance of the war.

If the UK and US withdraw their full-throated support other nations will follow behind. For the sake of our future, we need to know what Labour’s foreign policy will be. We are potentially looking at World War Three if the war in Ukraine and attacks on Israel escalate. Where will the UK stand under a Labour government?