Are we about to witness a ceasefire in Ukraine? Will Putin agree to one – and if he does, for how long? And what will Trump do if he doesn't?
If you're confused, you're not alone. All these vital questions (and more: such as nervously pondering on the nature of Putin's long-term ambitions) have been consuming the Voices desk, this week. At the time of writing, this fast-moving story was stumbling over the words of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who has accused Russia of "seeking to prolong the war" as it fails to commit to the 30-day ceasefire proposal agreed between the US and Ukraine.
Sean O'Grady writes that Putin must sign – or go down as the first Russian leader in a century to concede territory; while our editorial argues that the ceasefire deal lays bare the bind Vladimir Putin is in: a reminder that the proposed month-long truce brokered by the US will force the Russian president to concede that his territorial ambitions in Ukraine can go no further. Mark Almond, meanwhile, points out the terrifyingly obvious: that Putin cannot be trusted to stick to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
And while our prime minister was rightly praised for helping to appease Trump (as you might a particularly fractious toddler) – as well as becoming, in the words of our sketch writer Joe Murphy, "Starmer the Statesman" with his leadership in Europe – he's also caused a huge stir this week with plans for dramatic and crushing £6bn cuts to welfare. As Andrew Grice writes: "For all the talk about encouraging people back into jobs, you cannot "incentivise" many disabled people who are not capable of work."
Cuts to welfare and slashing foreign aid to pay for defence – that's not the Labour Party I recognise. Do you?
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