Roger Boyes writes op-eds for The Times. He is the paper’s diplomatic editor and a columnist. Today, 29th October 2025, he has written an article on the Ukraine war. In it, in effect, he states that Putin will win the war by the spring of 2026 because Ukraine does not and will not receive sufficient help from European nations with America already out of the picture. He states that “For all the EU’s rousing words, there just isn’t the money or the will to keep defending Ukraine.”
He says that this winter Putin will push on and make it hell for the Ukrainians. He adds that “In what might be the last 150 days of the war…” He believes that Russia will win the war by next spring because Europe is insufficiently committed to supporting Ukraine to the point where Ukraine wins.
Okay, Boyes is entitled to his opinion and entitled to express it but not in a national newspaper if he undermines Ukraine in this horrendous war. And he is undermining Ukraine. He is giving Putin fuel to keep going, to push on.
This is highly irresponsible as the West should be doing all it can to stop Putin in his desire to annex Ukraine or reclaim it back into the Soviet Union because Putin’s behaviour is evil. It is murderous. He is a mass murderer.
How can Boyes justify writing a piece which effectively motivates this evil murderer to push on and defeat Ukraine? It is highly irresponsible.
European journalists should be doing all they can to demotivate Putin with the intention of driving him to make the unlikely decision to pull his troops out of Ukraine.
That should be one purpose for journalists. They have a role to play just as European countries have a role to play in fully supporting Ukraine financially and in terms of the supply of armaments.
Of course, journalists have the responsibility to tell the truth. But I am not asking Boyes to lie. I am asking him to choose a topic for an article which does not motivate and effectively support a mass murderer.
I am surprised that The Times’ editor allowed him to write the article titled: “I hate to say it, but Kviv won’t last still spring”.
It is way too negative and shows a lack of support for Ukraine at a time when it is desperately needed.
Everyone not involved in this war should either shut up or say and write things which may improve Ukraine’s chances of successfully defending their sovereign territory in the face of the Russian aggressor.
Nothing should be published in British newspapers which undermines that obvious goal.
More: ukraine
Roger Boyes
Roger Boyes is a distinguished British journalist and author, currently serving as Diplomatic Editor and Chief Foreign Affairs Columnist for the The Times. (PepTalk) Born on 7 August 1952 in Hereford, England, he brings decades of experience covering global geopolitical affairs. (Wikipedia)
Boyes’ career has spanned the fall of the Berlin Wall, martial law in Poland, the rise and spread of European integration, and the emerging geopolitical frictions of the 21st century. He began at Reuters in Moscow (1976–77), moved to the Financial Times as an Eastern-Europe specialist (from 1978) and then joined The Times as Eastern Europe correspondent based in Warsaw. Later postings included Rome for Southern Europe (1987–89) and Bonn/Berlin from 1993 onward, where he reported on Germany’s reunification and Europe’s shifting balance of power.
Over time, his role evolved from foreign correspondent to a thought-leader in diplomatic commentary. His writing for The Times offers clear, forceful analysis on crises and changing global patterns—whether in the Middle East, Russia’s war policies, or China’s authoritarian turn. His author biography highlights how his nearly 30-year foreign-reporting career informs his contributions to geopolitics, finance and economy coverage.
Outside journalism, Boyes has written several books—among them Meltdown Iceland: How the Global Financial Crisis Bankrupted Iceland, the Happiest State in the World—which reflect his interest in less imagined but deeply consequential global stories. His bicultural and multilingual background (he studied politics, German and Swedish at King’s College London) also allowed him to bring nuanced insight into Europe’s social and cultural dynamics.
In sum: Roger Boyes is not simply a foreign-editorial voice but a practitioner who has witnessed many turning points of modern geopolitics. His columns bridge frontline reporting and strategic commentary—making him a go-to voice for readers seeking to understand how crises abroad may ripple back to Britain and the wider world.
