The West must keep faith and not let Putin take Ukraine, or even think he still can — it is paramount for our security

Do not flinch

WHEN Ukraine’s President Zelensky warned the West not to expect the war to follow the neat narrative of a Hollywood movie he hit the nail on the head.

Admittedly, it did at first feel like an epic tale of heroism: A monstrous, evil invading force brutalising its neighbour only to be pushed back by the braver, cannier, more spirited underdog.

Ukraine achieved astonishing early successes.

Russia, which expected total victory in days, instead suffered almost unimaginable losses.

But since then it has not followed the script.

A war of attrition has set in.

There is stalemate.

The Kremlin still has a vast number of troops it will not hesitate to sacrifice.

Ukraine’s losses, like the suffering of its people and the destruction of its ­cities, are terrible too.

The people and politicians of the West have grown fatigued by the conflict and the vast sums we have sent to Ukraine.

They are distracted by Israel and Gaza.

But we must not falter.

Plenty want Ukraine to sue for peace.

What then?

Do the defeatists really think Putin will contentedly settle for just some of Ukraine?

He is drunk on power. He wants it all — and much more.

Nato nations on Ukraine’s borders would be next.

Putin has written about his dream of a Russian empire engulfing Europe and is mad enough to try it.

The upside is he is spending 40 per cent of Russia’s entire budget on defence and his economy is in dire trouble.

America, Britain and the EU must keep faith and not let him take Ukraine, or even think he still can.

It is paramount for our security — as well as the survival of a sovereign nation.

Terror dupes

WHAT will it take for naive Gen Z TikTok addicts to wake up to Hamas’s racist evil?

The terrorists themselves may have provided the answer.

A third of 18-24s blame Israel entirely, or more than Hamas, for the Gaza war despite the October 7 atrocities.

A depressing fifth of 25-49s agree.

But Hamas is now calling for the slaughter of Britons and Americans everywhere, as IS and al-Qaeda did.

Will it take mass murder on our streets to finally disabuse middle-class leftie kids of their luxury beliefs?

We can but hope it never comes to that.

No new taxis

AN extra tax on taxis won’t just hurt the vulnerable, it will make others less safe.

Lumping 20 per cent VAT on minicab fares will put them beyond many ­ordinary people’s reach.

That includes women needing safe transport home from nights out.

With the Survivors Trust now backing the Stop The Taxi Tax campaign, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt should listen.