Dejermy

In this wide-ranging discussion, I am joined by two of Britain’s most experienced and independent voices on the Ukraine war and European security: Mary Dejevsky, former Moscow correspondent for The Times and long-time foreign affairs commentator, and Commodore Steve Jermy RN (Rtd), a decorated naval officer with combat experience dating back to the Falklands War and the author of Strategy for Action. Prompted by Mary’s powerful Substack essay J’Accuse – Boris Johnson, we examine Boris Johnson’s role in the early phase of the war, the collapse of the April 2022 Istanbul talks, the broader strategic failures of Western policy, the gap between political narrative and military reality, and what a realistic security architecture for Europe might look like once the fighting ends. We also discuss Steve’s support for a petition calling for a pause in UK military aid and a proper public debate (and possible referendum) on Britain’s involvement. In this conversation we discuss: Mary Dejevsky’s case for holding Boris Johnson to account after the war The Istanbul negotiations of April 2022 and why the draft agreement collapsed Johnson’s Churchillian framing of Zelensky and the early Western response Military analysis of Russia’s initial operation and the West’s strategic misjudgements The role of other key figures (Liz Truss, Ben Wallace, Tony Radakin) Why the West continues to rely on one-sided information and propaganda Russia’s actual security objectives versus the “restore the empire” narrative Neutrality for Ukraine and the case for reforming or replacing NATO A possible future European security architecture centred on the OSCE The petition to pause UK support and open a national debate on aid spending What a post-war reckoning in Britain might look like Chapters:00:00 – Introduction 01:06 – Mary on her Substack article and Boris Johnson’s role 04:47 – Ian on Liz Truss, Ben Wallace and the early hard line 06:35 – Steve on military realities, the limited nature of the initial operation, and strategic blunders 09:48 – Johnson’s shift from dove to hawk and Western groupthink 11:40 – Media spin, one-sided reporting, and the failure to understand Russian motivations 15:10 – When the public starts to see through the narrative 19:57 – Competing views of Putin’s goals: security vs territorial expansion 22:12 – Russia’s minimal objectives and the difficulty of changing the Western consensus 24:13 – Signs of cracks in mainstream media coverage 26:42 – Emotional responses vs the requirements of diplomacy 28:00 – Future European security architecture, neutrality, and reforming NATO/OSCE 32:32 – How Russia sees its relationship with Europe 38:21 – America’s shifting priorities and Europe’s strategic position 45:30 – Learning from Russia rather than Ukraine, and the components of military power 47:15 – Mechanisms for accountability and a post-war reckoning 51:36 – The petition, public debate, and the risks of escalation 56:15 – Closing remarks Links: Mary Dejevsky’s Substack article – J’Accuse – Boris Johnson: https://marydejevsky.substack.com/p/j... Steve Jermy’s Substack article on the petition – Petition: Pause British Military Support for Ukraine: https://stevejermy.substack.com/p/pet... PLEASE CONSIDER SIGNING THE PETITION TO PAUSE UK AID TO UKRAINE AND HOLD A REFERENDUM Official UK Parliament petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petiti... Ian Proud / The Peacemonger: Substack: https://thepeacemonger.substack.com/ YouTube:    / @ianproud   X: https://x.com/proud_diplomat If you find these conversations useful, please subscribe to the channel and press the notification bell so you don’t miss future discussions. Wherever you are in the world, whatever your nationality and religion, I wish you much peace. #borisjohnson #Ukraine #UkraineWar #Istanbul #NATO #EuropeanSecurity #MaryDejevsky #SteveJermy #IanProud #ThePeacemonger #Petition #Accountability #Diplomacy #Russia #Geopolitics