The Guardian view on UK-EU defence: moving in the right direction, much too slowly

"For Vladimir Putin, peace talks with Ukraine are war pursued by other means. That is why progress has been so slow in negotiations, which resumed in Geneva this week. The Russian president demands the surrender of territory that his army has failed so far to win in combat. Since Mr Putin cannot be trusted to honour any agreement, Volodymyr Zelenskyy rightly insists on robust security guarantees."

"He must be deterred from resuming a campaign aimed at extinguishing Ukraine's sovereignty. His country's economy and propaganda apparatus are increasingly oriented towards sustaining a long war. He has shown little sign of abandoning efforts to weaken Nato and punish European democracies for backing Kyiv. The intent is signalled by a campaign of constant provocations: sabotage, maritime and air incursions, cyber-attacks and online disinformation."

"There is no British security without Europe, and no European security without Britain, he said. The speech was an important clarification of the UK's geopolitical interests at a time when domestic politics is too often addled with Brexit delusions. But there is a gap between Sir Keir's ambition and its realisation. Defence and security cooperation was a foundational pillar of the reset in UK-EU relations agreed in a summit last May."

Vladimir Putin treats peace talks with Ukraine as a continuation of war and demands the surrender of territory his forces have not won in combat. Zelenskyy insists on robust security guarantees because Putin cannot be trusted to honour agreements. The Kremlin seeks to restore national pride through territorial expansion and may accept temporary lulls only to regroup for renewed offensives. Russia's economy and propaganda are increasingly oriented toward sustaining a long war. Moscow pursues a campaign to weaken NATO and punish European democracies through sabotage, maritime and air incursions, cyber-attacks and disinformation. Strengthened Britain–Europe defence cooperation is essential, but UK–EU security initiatives have stalled over funding disagreements.

Read at www.theguardian.com