Great Britain Ties the Kremlin in Knots
This is the latest and largest edition, marking the 4th release of their regular knot-tying business.
When Putin’s 21st-century imperial invasion comes to an end — sometime this year, as it surely will — and the books are written, there will be only one country that truly deserves the title for leadership in a global crisis.
It’s not the United States. They deserve full credit for holding the alliance together during the critical early phase. Without Biden, the whole thing would have crumbled. The old man held firm when it mattered most, and for that, he earned his place in history.
It’s not Germany. They deserve all the applause for navigating the catastrophic gas crisis Putin threw at them in 2022. Yes, they got themselves into that mess, but they clawed their way out. And once they had, they didn’t look back. Since 2023, no one has ramped up harder or faster than the Germans.
It’s certainly not France. Macron played his part in 2024. He has my respect. That’s all he’s getting.
When it comes to leadership in crisis, the baton passed from the United States to Great Britain in January 2023. Since then, it has been Britain leading from the front — and they haven’t stopped.
For some strange — or perhaps no real — reason at all, I kept naming the groundbreaking decisions made by the British Government over the past three years as ‘Britain Has Tied the Kremlin in Knots.’ We’re now on the fourth edition. Here are the first, second, and third, and I can’t wait for the fifth to launch.
I will never measure leadership during a crisis by the dollar value of support. Nor will I hand it to someone just for making strong, evocative statements. Leadership is earned through actions — nothing else.
From the very beginning of Putin’s invasion, every single time the allies found themselves at a crossroads, uncertain and paralyzed, it was Great Britain that stepped forward. It was Britain that took that critical step, again and again, when it mattered most.
President Biden had no interest in sending heavy weapons, tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. It was the lack of heavy weapons that arrested the flow of the breathtaking victory Ukraine achieved in late 2022, driving the Russians out of Kherson city and liberating thousands of square kilometers in Kharkiv Oblast.
Poland knew it needed Germany’s approval to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, but on January 11, 2023, it announced it would send a company of Leopards anyway. Just three days later, Great Britain pledged Challenger tanks to Ukraine. Everyone knew Britain didn’t have many tanks, but the move turned the spotlight squarely onto Germany and the United States.
If Britain and Poland can, why can’t you?
Their leaders couldn’t escape the pressure, hounded relentlessly over their decision to withhold tanks from Ukraine. As international demands escalated, both Germany and the U.S. cracked. The green light was given — not just for tanks, but also for Patriot air-defense systems, marking a pivotal shift in support for Ukraine.
Remember the “hell no, we can’t give long-range missiles to Ukraine”? The U.S. finally relented in early 2024 — two full years into the war. Turns out, Great Britain had quietly supplied Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, and no one knew until the Russians started screaming about it on social media in May 2023.
And the “fuck no” to fighter jets?
It was Great Britain, in partnership with the Netherlands, that spearheaded the fighter jet coalition in June 2023, paving the way for European allies to supply F-16s to Ukraine.
Every time Ukraine found itself on its knees, pleading for tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, long-range missiles, or fighter jets, it was Great Britain that stepped up to break the resistance. They didn’t offer lip service or recommendations — they took action. That’s what leadership looks like.
For months now, Ukraine has been urging the West to sanction the Russian dark fleet. They even went so far as to create a detailed website documenting the entire fleet.
Around October, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer recognized that Russia’s worsening economic condition made sanctions the most effective path to ending the war. Since then, the United Kingdom has been rolling out a new sanctions package every two weeks. By December, the UK had sanctioned 72 vessels.
On January 10th, President Biden followed suit with the most significant sanctions to date, targeting 183 vessels responsible for transporting 42% of Russia’s seaborne crude oil in 2023. These ships are now effectively out of operation — for now.
Yesterday, Great Britain announced one of its largest aid packages to Ukraine yet.
Once again, it’s not about the dollar value of what the UK has done — it’s about what they’ve done, how, and when. This is the third year of Russia’s invasion. Yes, the allies are exhausted, and many want this to end. But we’re on the brink of crushing an imperial dream. If it’s tiring for us, imagine how exhausting it is for a child who lost her father, fighting so she could live free from oppression.
Now is not the time to tire. Now is not the time to slow down. That one line in the UK’s press release says it all: “This year the UK will give more military support to Ukraine than ever before.” That’s not just a statement — it’s action. It’s leadership. It’s a signal to the European allies on how to move forward.
Ukraine’s economy is already in a stronger position, thanks to the $50 billion loan from frozen Russian assets secured by the G7 and the €50 billion Ukraine aid package cleared by the EU in early 2024. Now, in 2025, Britain is stepping up with £3 billion in military aid. Germany has already committed €4 billion, with another €3 billion likely to be approved after their elections.
Combined, we’re looking at nearly $10 billion from the UK and Germany alone to help Ukraine in this critical final phase. Add that to what Biden delivered over the last three months, and Ukraine is in the strongest position it has been since the war began. This gives them the platform they desperately need to keep the incoming Trump administration from veering off course.
It’s no guarantee that Trump won’t try to hand Putin a way out. But had Ukraine been in a weaker position, that outcome would have been certain. Now, the risk isn’t eliminated, but it’s significantly reduced.
So, thank you, Great Britain, for your leadership.
We eagerly await your fifth edition.
Thanks for reading. The war is getting closer to the end. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial to make critical information about Ukraine accessible. That’s why I’ve made 340 stories available to the public in 2024, including this one.
