Readers' Letters: A show of force from Nato is a must to deter Vladimir Putin

Western leaders including Boris Johnson claim that they are implementing crippling sanctions on Russia like it has never experienced before and Johnson prefers bluster rather anything constructive to hit “the bloodstained aggressor” where it hurts. Experts know that these sanctions will not hurt Putin in the short term and he knows he can get anything he needs from a friendly China.

Three young protestors sing the Ukrainian national anthem outside the Russian Embassy in west London following the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Chillingly, Putin has threatened nuclear war if anyone gets in the way of his expansionist policy which will spill into more of Eastern Europe unless the West piles up military forces next to Russian borders on multiple fronts the way Russia has done around Ukraine.

We can threaten to withdraw dollars, yen and pounds but the only currencies Putin understand are missiles and bullets.

Nato has been completely caught out and found to be impotent.

Ironically, this is one time when an unpredictable Donald Trump might have made Putin think twice, with one megalomaniac trying to outthink the other.

As things stand there is little to stop Putin pushing his near 200,000 invasion force on to the Baltic States and Poland.

A show of force from Nato to deter further expansion is badly needed to preserve our democratic values and save lives. We should not be bullied into submission by threats of Armageddon.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

Chess moves

The kleptomaniac Putin is now busy stealing yet another country to add to his collection.

Taking advantage of a very poory-led Europe, Britain and the United States he has, chess-like, begun the moves to control the centre of the board.

He has no opponents. Would he have dared to have started this game against Churchill, Eisenhower and De Gaulle?

Another sad day in the history of infamy. It is time he was Putin in his place.

Tim Flinn, Garvald, East Lothian

Not so strong

Putin clearly considers himself as an alpha-male strongman, but with the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, hypersonic missiles and massive conventional air, land and marine forces, he still demands “security guarantees” from western countries.

So is he not revealing himself as a bit of a diddums with an inferiority complex?

John Birkett, St Andrews, Fife

The big picture

The indefensible aggression by the Putin regime against Ukraine is truly dreadful.

Hopefully, we will now awaken from our introspection and obsession with non-events such as Partygate, and start to focus on the wider issues that will affect our economy and our safety in the future.

Most everyone is agreed that Putin is obsessed with recreation of the USSR and that prospect, allied to his communion with China that carries out its own aggressions in Hong Kong and Taiwan, is a truly frightening one for the world.

It is time therefore to cease our imports of cheap technology and manufactured goods from China, and to absolutely stop any dependency on Russian fossil fuel, dirty money, and international travel by all Russian oligarchs, their families and friends. Flights to and from Russia to Europe should be banned immediately.

Putin's aggressive behaviour should have been stopped long ago after his annexation of Crimea and the poisonings of people on the streets of UK.

The Germans and French in particular have been notoriously slow to recognise where the cosying up to the Kremlin for short-term national gain was going to lead.

Time to stop the political rot in the West, and for our media to get a grip on world affairs instead of indulging in meaningless gossip about matters that are unimportant in the real future of our democracies.

Derek Farmer, Anstruther, Fife

Leaders’ egos

I remember the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. I remember the palpable sense of relief when the US and the USSR stepped back from outright confrontation. Both, as it transpired later, had made the concessions necessary to avert nuclear war.

So, from MacMillan through to May in the UK, and from Eisenhower through to Obama in the US, whatever their many faults, there was a cross-party determination to resist the Russian Bear. And the Nato allies stood as one in that defence.

It has taken but one shambolic US Presidency and one equally shambolic UK Premiership, both ego-driven, to unzip all that and persuade Putin he is on to a winner.

When larger-than-life politicians allow their oversized egos to write cheques their ability cannot encash, it is time for such egos to be brought down to earth.

Iain Masterton, Kirknewton, Midlothian

Wasted words

As I sit horrified in front of the news night by night, watching Vladimir Putin bullying the rest of the world with one hand while going to war with the Ukraine with the other, I am equally despairing of the limp responses from Boris Johnson and Joe Biden.

Why is their answer always to say strong words, and if they don’t work send an even stronger worded letter about how the bad guy isnt playing nicely and ought to put his toys back in his pram and behave himself?

I am so so tired of hearing about multiple deaths and violations while the people in power do nothing to help or change it. Oh let’s sanction Putin and eventually he will give up – I think not!

It’s time they rolled up their sleeves and actually physically did something like kicking Putin as far away as possible and stopping him starting World War III.

The man is insane and behaving like a playground bully, the kind that can’t go anywhere without at least two giant brainless thugs to do their dirty work because they are too weak to do it alone.

Come on Britain and America, put your pens down and show Putin who is boss and prevent any more deaths,

This is the time to show us you can actually lead and deal with a life and death situation with more than a full ink pot and reams of Basildon Bond.

Bronwyn L Matthew, Prestonpans, East Lothian

Sporting chance

I would have hoped that every sporting body from the Olympics down would have already announced a complete boycott of sporting ties by and competition from Russian teams and individuals until the result of any war crimes is determined.

This would impact immediately on the Russian people, who love their sport. And that means no fudges with terms like the Russian Olympic Committee.

James Watson, Dunbar, East Lothian

Time to get real

As Russia invades non-nuclear Ukraine, it is time for the UK to reappraise a number of things. First, the empty arguments against our nuclear defences are exposed as CND wishful thinking. Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons thanks to false assurances regarding its territorial security given by Russia.

Second, the EU in general and Germany in particular need to focus on energy security, which means focusing on nuclear power stations and coal. We in Britain also need to focus on nuclear (with no foreign involvement) and in using our vast coal reserves: collect CO2 if you like, but we must have that resource. Likewise the immense shale oil reserves which Cuadrilla confirms could power the UK for 50 years at current levels must be exploited.

Third, the UK must increase the number of soldiers, ships and aeroplanes for our defences, repatriate industry and stop BT shutting down landlines. If the internet is hacked, we will be unable to communicate with each other.

The times we live in demand realism, not Green nonsense.

Andrew HN Gray, Edinburgh

Energy security

You claim that renewables provide “ironclad energy security” (Scotsman, 24 February).

Hardly. Renewables are inherently unreliable; at times they provide no generation at all so jeopardising energy security. I am surprised at you taking this line.

David Cameron was right; relying on “green crap” was and is stupid. Wind farms, apart from being intermittent generators, are huge blots on the landscape and even the seascape. Scotland values its natural environment but is now self-harming with these developments.

To achieve "ironclad energy security” without environmental damage it is necessary to develop more nuclear generation.

Steuart Campbell, Edinburgh

NHS successes

William Ballantine’s assertions on Scotland’s NHS are greatly mistaken (Letters, 25 February). With ageing populations, all countries face healthcare provision challenges but on any measurement Scotland’s NHS is the best performing of the four UK nations.

Health spending has increased by 70 per cent since the SNP came to power with 20 per cent more staff and we have more GPs, nurses and hospital beds per head of population than the rest of the UK. Scotland has free prescriptions and dental check-ups, with 36 per cent more dentists since 2007.

For more than six years, Scotland’s core A&E services have been the best performing in UK and in Labour-run Wales, long waits over 12 hours are more than five times higher than in Scotland. There is much better cancer screening and since 2007 cancer deaths have fallen by 17 per cent.

With a hospital stay and several other issues, which were attended to promptly over the past 20 months, I am grateful for the quality of NHS Scotland and the dedication of staff working under additional Covid pressures.

Mary Watson, Edinburgh

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