In the geopolitics of the North Atlantic and western Mediterranean, Britain and Spain have become the leading voices of the European left. Their governments loudly condemn Israel and obstruct the United States while claiming to defend Western values. In practice, they undermine deterrence, fracture alliances, and leave critical chokepoints vulnerable to Russia and Iran.

Britain shows the pattern clearly. On March 25, 2026, Defence Secretary John Healey announced that British forces could board and detain sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tankers in United Kingdom waters. The government presented it as a strong stand against vessels funding Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Yet more than 25 sanctioned ships continued passing through British waters soon after, some loitering near critical undersea infrastructure. Supposedly, “legal concerns over innocent passage rights limited real enforcement”.

The vulnerability grew starker earlier this month. Healey admitted that Russian submarines had spent an entire month probing Britain’s vital undersea cables and pipelines. The force included one Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine and two specialized vessels from Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research. British and allied units tracked them, but Healey’s public response to Russia’s Putin was limited to “We see you.” The Russians withdrew without impunity after securing unique HUMINT on 90% of Britain’s critical daily internet traffic and vital energy supply cables.

This caution contrasts sharply with Britain’s........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)