So spineless not to take on Russia
The seven foreign ministers of the world’s richest nations at G7 should hang their heads in shame after deciding not to impose new sanctions against Russia because they did not want to back Putin into a corner.
Would this be the same corner in which the men, women and children in Syria were slaughtered?
And we don’t do ourselves any favours when we send the blond buffoon Boris Johnson to do our negotiating. What a waste of space.
We are now back to square one – Putin backs Assad and we back off.
Keith Bowman, Bolsover, Derbys
Those who think Trump’s unpredictability is a good thing are deluded. It will only take us back to the Cold War days of achieving nothing and uneasy stand-offs.
It is clear his negotiating skills are nonexistent. White House Secretary Sean Spicer has made matters worse by insulting Jewish people and needs to step aside.
Reg Barrett, Southminster, Essex
I am no fan of Donald Trump, but let’s give credit where it’s due. His missile strike on Syria was the right response to Assad’s sarin gas attack on his own people. It’s just a pity the spineless ministers of the G7 didn’t see fit to back Boris Johnson’s plan to impose further sanctions on Russia. They can bluster all they like, but their attempt to defend Assad at the UN just makes him look more guilty. He is a war criminal and should face justice.
We have never had serious diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation in Syria. When the conflict was about six months old, our government said Assad had lost legitimacy.
They never explicitly called for regime change, but that is what they meant – Assad could not be involved in “negotiations” until he had agreed to step down.
That is why this complicated catastrophe has lasted six years with no end in sight.
Brendan O’Brien North London
We rightly condemn Assad’s killing of civilians, but already we have the tin hat brigade backing Trump.
However, the only winners in war are arms dealers. We should not get dragged into a war, which would not
only cause more suffering to the Syrian refugees, but one that the people of this country, suffering brutal austerity cuts, can’t afford.
Derek C Ray, North London
Jeremy Corbyn is right – we need independent verification of who was behind the gas attack. I don’t buy the line that Assad did it. Trump and his lapdog, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, have provided us with no proof. Saddam Hussein’s fictional weapons of mass destruction with their disastrous consequences comes to mind. Who gave Trump and his right-wing hawks the right to become judge and jury?
James Burns Altrincham, Cheshire
Putin said only 23 of the 59 Tomahawk missiles got through to the target in Syria. That is enough. And that is what will make Iran and North Korea sit up and think twice about attacking other countries. B Parrott, Woking, Surrey.