SIR – Donald Trump’s combative rhetoric, which he has turned against many countries of late, has culminated in him appearing to accuse Volodymyr Zelensky of causing the conflict in Ukraine (report, February 20).
What of all those photographs of invading Russian tanks and troops?
Europe has to take a stand against Mr Trump’s position, and band together to support Ukraine.
Malcolm Freeth
Bournemouth, Dorset
SIR – Sir Keir Starmer and other European leaders must rearm now in preparation for a rejuvenated Russia. Britain has the money and the know-how, but we will have to make sacrifices to prioritise our defence.
We potentially only have 24 months. The strong men are in charge again, but this time the United States does not have our back.
Colin Clark
Conservative MP for Gordon, 2017-19
Aberdeen
SIR – During my War Studies degree at King’s College London, I once argued that a war starts only when an attacked country resists its attacker. It takes two to tango, as it were.
I went so far as to argue (as only an overconfident undergraduate could) that war is actually a good thing, because it represents opposition to unjust aggression.
On this basis, I will accept President Trump’s claim that Ukraine started the war against Russia by fighting back when the tanks rolled in.
Under the circumstances, it was quite right to do so – and it has law and justice on its side.
Iwan Price-Evans
Croydon, Surrey
SIR – The recent proposals for 100,000 European peacekeepers in Ukraine indicate that Western nations have learnt nothing about conflict resolution. Nato keeps 4,600 troops in tiny Kosovo, 26 years on from the conflict. In 1995-6, some 60,000 Nato peacekeepers entered Bosnia, and an EU-led mission remains there.
As Edward Luttwak wrote: “War brings peace only after passing a culminating phase of violence.” Russia must be made to leave Ukraine in order to avoid another “frozen conflict” in Europe, one which Vladimir Putin would only exploit.
Richard Ladd-Jones
Swanmore, Hampshire
SIR – Previous American administrations have voiced support for Taiwan, but Xi Jinping must be dusting off his invasion plans after seeing Donald Trump ditch his Western allies one after the other.
Chris Blockwell
Southampton
SIR – Where once we had cheese-eating surrender monkeys, do we now have burger-eating appeasement monkeys?
David Dunn
Bamburgh, Northumberland
SIR – Donald Trump’s combative rhetoric, which he has turned against many countries of late, has culminated in him appearing to accuse Volodymyr Zelensky of causing the conflict in Ukraine (report, February 20).
What of all those photographs of invading Russian tanks and troops?
Europe has to take a stand against Mr Trump’s position, and band together to support Ukraine.
Malcolm Freeth
Bournemouth, Dorset
SIR – Sir Keir Starmer and other European leaders must rearm now in preparation for a rejuvenated Russia. Britain has the money and the know-how, but we will have to make sacrifices to prioritise our defence.
We potentially only have 24 months. The strong men are in charge again, but this time the United States does not have our back.
Colin Clark
Conservative MP for Gordon, 2017-19
Aberdeen
SIR – During my War Studies degree at King’s College London, I once argued that a war starts only when an attacked country resists its attacker. It takes two to tango, as it were.
I went so far as to argue (as only an overconfident undergraduate could) that war is actually a good thing, because it represents opposition to unjust aggression.
On this basis, I will accept President Trump’s claim that Ukraine started the war against Russia by fighting back when the tanks rolled in.
Under the circumstances, it was quite right to do so – and it has law and justice on its side.
Iwan Price-Evans
Croydon, Surrey
SIR – The recent proposals for 100,000 European peacekeepers in Ukraine indicate that Western nations have learnt nothing about conflict resolution. Nato keeps 4,600 troops in tiny Kosovo, 26 years on from the conflict. In 1995-6, some 60,000 Nato peacekeepers entered Bosnia, and an EU-led mission remains there.
As Edward Luttwak wrote: “War brings peace only after passing a culminating phase of violence.” Russia must be made to leave Ukraine in order to avoid another “frozen conflict” in Europe, one which Vladimir Putin would only exploit.
Richard Ladd-Jones
Swanmore, Hampshire
SIR – Previous American administrations have voiced support for Taiwan, but Xi Jinping must be dusting off his invasion plans after seeing Donald Trump ditch his Western allies one after the other.
Chris Blockwell
Southampton
SIR – Where once we had cheese-eating surrender monkeys, do we now have burger-eating appeasement monkeys?
David Dunn
Bamburgh, Northumberland