Zelensky’s Back for More: Whose War is it Anyway?

He’s back… The greatest salesman in the world, Zelensky

And watch how quickly Rachel Reeves finds yet more billions to keep funding this forever war, a war pushed, polished, and paid for by the arms industry and its well-fed lobbyists.

Since 2022, the UK has committed up to £21.8 billion to Ukraine, including £13 billion in military support (with a £2.26 billion Export Finance loan) and another £5.3 billion in so-called non-military assistance, from bilateral aid packages to fiscal guarantees. That’s the single largest military outlay by any European country.

President Zelensky has returned to the begging circuit, seeking new supplies of weapons and cash. His latest wish list includes long-range missiles, stronger air defences, and now a letter of intent with Sweden to buy 150 Gripen fighter jets. Meanwhile, Brussels has committed to “tackling Ukraine’s financial needs” for 2026–27, but EU leaders still can’t agree on unlocking the €140 billion in frozen Russian assets they’ve been sitting on in Belgium.

Here in Britain, we’ve already seen another strike on Russian territory, reportedly carried out with UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, targeting a chemical plant some 200 km beyond Ukraine’s borders. And yet, as the war creeps further into Russian soil, Westminster barely blinks.

The Escalation Agenda: Pushing Ukraine’s Firepower Further Into Russia

The next round of London talks will focus on delivering even more long-range capabilities. Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly preparing to “push European allies to do more,” as if escalation were a moral duty.

Ukraine wants Germany’s Taurus missiles, capable of striking nearly twice as far as the Storm Shadow, but Berlin has hesitated. Zelensky, frustrated by Washington’s refusal to send its Tomahawks, has now pointed out that “European countries also have Tomahawks”, a hint aimed squarely at London.

So far, there’s been no public discussion about Britain handing over those weapons. But let’s be honest, since when has democratic consent ever stood in the way of a war economy on the rise?

Even Donald Trump, hardly a pacifist, warned that giving such missiles to Ukraine risks catastrophic escalation. And Vladimir Putin, aware that every word he utters is parsed in Western war rooms, issued his own warning:

“The consequences of using such a weapon against Russia would be serious — if not staggering.”

Still, the money flows. The missiles fly. The moral lines blur.

Every time Zelensky lands, the tills of the military-industrial complex start ringing. Funny how Starmer and Rachel Reeves never seem short of change when it’s for war.

The poor queue at food banks, the rich queue for contracts, and the bombs keep falling to the sound of ringing tills. As ever… Peace is unaffordable, but war pays dividends.

Paul Knaggs

Editor, founder, Labour Heartlands, Citizen journalist. 𝙁𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙍𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩. Fighting a constant struggle with dyslexia that’s overcome with a burning desire to speak out against the corrupt political system and the social injustices it creates. Advocate for Free speech and open, accountable, democracy. #GTTO