Imagine by John Lennon is not a good song. Even at the best of times, ‘Imagine there’s no countries’ reaches for profundity and misses badly. When an aggressor nation has just violated the sovereignty of another while claiming the invaded state doesn’t exist, invoking the song is downright nihilistic.
In fact, I would go as far as saying that I am the Walrus is a superior blueprint for international relations. Reason being is that there are countries, they have largely well-defined borders and some of those lie within Nato and its article 5, which states that an attack on one is an attack on all.
The UK government has warned Vladimir Putin of ‘war with Nato’ if his army steps a ‘single toecap’ on its territory. It comes as Russia fired 30 rockets at the Yavoriv military base, less than 15 miles from the Polish (and therefore Nato’s) border.
So note that while peace talks take place between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators – focusing on a ceasefire, troop withdrawals and security guarantees for Ukraine – the Kremlin is broadening its offensive.
Number 10 said Britain will not be deterred by Russia from supplying arms to Ukraine, stressing that NLAW (Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon) missiles provided had been successfully used by Ukrainian forces against Russian convoys.
As the invasion enters its 19th day, read this piece by my colleague Samuel Fishwick on the man Moscow deploys to defend the indefensible, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Elsewhere in the paper, remember Covid-19? Shenzhen in southeastern China, nicknamed the ‘world’s factory’ and with a population of 13 million, is entering lockdown for at least a week as cases continue to rise. All non-essential businesses are being shut as the country battles to control the worst wave of infections since early 2020.
And as our City Editor Oscar Williams-Grut points out, while Britain is no zero-Covid adherent, cases are rising here too. In fact, an estimated one in 25 people in England and Wales have the virus. It comes amid concern about the new “Deltacron” variant – which combines mutations from both Omicron and Delta.
In the comment pages, Tanya Gold says words matter in conflict, so let’s not call Putin a strongman: he’s weak. Zaki Cooper writes London has long been a magnet for refugees – we must continue this generosity.
And Patsy Stevenson, who was detained by police officers at a vigil for Sarah Everard, says we all knew the Met was wrong to ban the event.
Finally, Ukraine’s 2022 entrant for the song contest is currently swept up in the war effort – but this is just the latest chapter in a years-long story, writes Jochan Embley.
