Home heating

Matters are hotting up in Ukraine and the response from the US, Britain and the EU has been to urge Putin to avoid “provocative action” (your report, 1 March).

The favoured tactic of
William Hague is to offer countries such as Ukraine a “blank cheque” to try to create a stable regime. History shows that this never happens and the regimes turn against us anyway.

This conflict may however make us realise that Putin knows only too well that he could
inflict catastrophic damage on the economy of Britain and other EU nations by simply turning off the gas taps, such is our reliance on Russian gas.

Time to build more gas storage facilities, ignore the anti-fracking rent-a-mob and become independent of volatile foreign suppliers.

clark cross

Springfield Road

Linlithgow