It appears David Armitage is not happy with the costs the Ukraine war is imposing on the UK (Letters, September 5).

I suppose he sees the Ukraine as distant from our own interests, and he would like to get back to the situation as it was before February 24. But I don’t think going back is possible. Russia’s invasion has changed Europe, and perhaps the world.

If Mr Armitage had been alive in the summer of 1940, would he have advised that we surrender to the Germans? This would have saved us the cost of ramping up the economy to fight a war, and many people at the time said this.

Vladimir Putin once said: ‘The fall of the Soviet Union was the greatest geo-political disaster of the 20th century’. That is to say, Russia lost its empire - and I believe that Putin is desperate to restore it. If he has his way, he will not stop with the Ukraine, but try to rebuild that empire. This would compromise and weaken all of Europe, and the UK would not be exempt.

Like it or not, our fate and well-being is tied up with that of Europe. I was no supporter of Boris Johnson. But in throwing his weight behind Ukraine in its crisis, I believe that he went some way towards redeeming himself.

David Martin, Rosedale Avenue, Acomb

 

There must be no repeat of ‘Peace In Our Time’

I could not disagree with David Armitage more over his view that we should not support Ukraine against Russia.

I don’t know how old he is. But I was alive in 1938, a period which saw the ‘Peace In Our Time’ appeasement of Hitler. This led to a led to a six-year war.

We must support anyone defending themselves against Putin’s aggression.

Harry Punter, Strensall, York