Weapons for Ukraine Are Far More Cost Effective Than Spending on Our Own Military

People living in the security of the West are right to question the provision of lavish assistance to war-torn Ukraine. While Ukrainians’ circumstances are desperate as they fight Russia’s invasion and live amidst the rubble of destroyed homes and infrastructure, our own societies have problems that also urgently need government attention and public funding.

Britain is second only to the US in generosity towards Ukraine, sending around £6.5 billion in military aid and training 30,000 Ukrainian troops. Including Ukrainian government budgetary support and humanitarian provisions brings the British total to nearly £10 billion. But the UK economy is the sixth biggest in the world: that comprises less than one half of one per cent of British GDP. Nonetheless, at a time of fiscal austerity and pressure on public services, the Western public is not wrong to wonder about the opportunity costs to our own societies of help sent to Ukraine.

When seeking to answer such questions, national security experts often aggravate people with condescending discussion of vague and unrelatable concepts like the “rules-based liberal international order”. A hugely important part of persuading sceptics to consider supporting aid to Ukraine is respecting people’s concerns. Too often, experts dismiss legitimate concerns or stampede arguments they don’t agree with.

Read the full article on the Telegraph.