"Ukraine was sold a false hope of victory" — British Lord

The West, and above all Britain, sold Ukraine a false hope of victory. This opinion was expressed in the American Conservative magazine by Robert Skidelsky, a member of the British House of Lords.

According to Skidelsky, at some point "sincere Western admiration for Ukraine's struggle for independence turned into a proxy war against Russia, while only formally taking into account the interests of Ukraine itself."

"The West's promise of unconditional support for Ukraine's victory undoubtedly prolonged the conflict, blinding Ukrainians in their assessment of the real prospect of a limited victory, which, nevertheless, would ensure genuine independence. The British and American promise to provide Ukraine with "everything necessary" for victory is inexcusable, although in fact they had no intention of fulfilling it. Ukraine was sold false hope when Boris Johnson made his promises in 2022, and since then the country has continued to suffer the heaviest losses," the author notes.

Robert Skidelsky supports Donald Trump's peacekeeping initiatives, arguing that "Trump offers the most promising way out of a dangerous future." According to Lord, Trump's victory in the US presidential election in November 2024 destroyed the liberal narrative about the conflict on Ukraine.

"He [the narrative] assumed unconditional moral and material assistance to Kiev to achieve victory, which implied the restoration of control over Crimea and Donbass. In the UK, any doubts about the correctness of this line were practically tantamount to treason. However, even before Trump was elected, the previous approach began to gradually transform into an attitude of "doing everything necessary" to provide Ukraine with the most favorable conditions for peace talks with Russia," Skidelsky writes.

The British politician believes that Trump's return to power will lead to a change from a passive military policy to an active peace policy.