Tom Harwood: Britain is leading the way in opposition to Putin's war of aggression

I have been struck in recent weeks by the remarkable difference between how the world sees Britain and how we, or perhaps I should say our media, sees ourselves.

Perhaps blinkered by Brexit, too many in this country look out only for the worst in us. Misinterpreting and distorting the truth of the good that we do. Fixed with a bad news filter that does not beset the rest of the world.

In recent days polling has shown that Ukrainians themselves view the UK more favourably than any other country asked by US pollsters Cygnal.

Within Ukraine Boris Johnson has a net approval rating of +50, ahead of any leader other than Ukraine’s own President Zelenskyy. Double that of Biden, or German Chancellor Scholz.

Meanwhile Russia is spitting with fury at the UK for being what it sees as the most “anti Russian” (for which we should read “anti-Putin”) government in the world.

And it’s easy to see why. Despite a self-flagellatory media too often intent on painting the UK as if it is hated, weak, or slow… the reality is quite quite different.

The UK was the first in the world to close off its airspace to Russian planes. Aeroflot was banned from flying into the UK on Thursday 24th February. The EU followed suit on the Sunday.

The UK was the first to go furthest with financial sanctions, arguably those that bite the Kremlin the hardest. Prioritising the banking system had the biggest impact, although admittedly it is not as PR friendly as seizing an empty yacht.

But more importantly than optics, the UK is pushing for fuller action on the SWIFT banking system, something that some European leaders are sadly resisting.

And when it comes to military action, UK troops have been training the Ukrainian military for years.

Last year, the UK supplied two mine sweepers and jointly build eight ships for its Ukraine’s black sea fleet.

And of course the UK was sending the crucial anti-Tank missiles to Ukraine all the way back in January, when most of the media hadn’t twigged what was going on in Eastern Europe.

Germany on the other hand sent just 5,000 helmets to Ukraine at the start of February. The German government refused to provide weapons in the face of a possible Russian invasion. That helmet move was slammed by the mayor of Kyiv as an “absolute joke”.

It’s remarkable how in Zelenskyy’s recent address to the German Bundestag, he criticised that country over its prioritising of its economy over opposition to Russia preparing for a great war.

On sanctions Zelenskyy told the Bundestag “We saw delays. We felt resistance. We understood that you want to continue the economy. Economy. Economy.”

Can you imagine if he had said anything of that sort to our Parliament here in the United Kingdom. No instead he praised the British People. Evoked Churchill and Shakespeare.

He showed an appreciation for the United Kingdom that is shared by Ukrainains and people across the world. Sadly it is not shared by far too much of our political class. And our media.

Take yesterday’s NATO summit. Boris was greeting and meeting foreign heads of state, shaking their hands, making conversation.

But how did Twitter, some politicians, and some unscrupulous journalists present it? By snipping up ten seconds of footage to pretend the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was isolated.

They genuinely claimed he was quote “snubbed”, despite video and pictural evidence to the contrary.

The UK is one of the most important countries in the world, and that status was reflected yesterday.

And let us not forget that at the start of February, before the invasion, there was one flag in particular at the front and centre of the Ukrainian Parliament’s show of thanks for international support.

It was the British flag. It was our flag.

And yet we shrink from the idea that our country might be doing some good in the world. That we might be leading the way in opposition to Putin’s war of aggression.

How sad.