We must pay no heed to latest Russian threats against UK

We must pay no heed to the latest, ridiculous threats coming out of Moscow after the reported use of British drones for strikes deep into Russia. Standing up to bullies is the only course to adopt, and we are pleased to see the Burnham administration has continued the strong line of his predecessors.

“We are providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself, and that’s been the British position all the way through this conflict by previous prime ministers. It remains the case with me,” he said.

“We are not fair-weather friends. We will be there in Ukraine’s hour of need, and that won’t change.”

It is a position we wholeheartedly support, but that is not to say we should not be alive to very real, and constant, threat now posed by Putin either directly or indirectly to the UK.

It makes properly investing in defence all the more vital, with Chancellor John Healey’s first budget now eagerly anticipated. Healey you will remember resigned as Defence Secretary over insufficient funds, and now finds himself at Number 11 trying to balance the books.

Find the money he must though as the UK faces up to Russian aggression.

New Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has already said Mr Healey would set out the “interim path” to spending 3 per cent of gross domestic product on defence by 2030. That interim path had better become pretty permanent soon.

The Kremlin accused the UK of deliberately escalating the conflict and said the deeper the country’s involvement became, “the higher the price it will pay”. Quite how the UK is escalating a illegal war needlessly started by Putin is not clear, but if it is de-escalation Russia wants then it knows how to do it. Russia would not be facing these new attacks deep into its territory had it not launched its bloody military onslaught.

Our wholehearted support for the brave nation of Ukraine must continue.

We must always stand against evil, and refuse to kowtow to bullies.

Slava Ukraini