World must find way to stop Putin

The tender heart of our nation bleeds for the misery of Ukraine’s people as each day brings with it fresh horrors. The indiscriminate bombing of civilians we see on our TV screens, reports of Russian soldiers raping Ukrainian women, the ceasefires in which the Russians do not cease firing.

And the children in dire need of continuous cancer treatment forced to break off to cower from bombs in basements.

Yet despite the pain and anguish, and the odds stacked against them, the people of Ukraine are an inspiration for their resilience and defiance.

It takes superhuman courage combined with boiling anger for unarmed civilians to confront trigger-happy Russian soldiers and tell them to clear off.

If that was all it took to win this war then the invaders would be scuttling out of the country with their tails between their legs.

But that is the stuff of movies, not real life. And Ukrainians must brace themselves for the suffering to get worse as Vladimir Putin tightens the noose around their key cities.

There are a number of ways in which this war might be brought to an end, but they grow fewer the longer it goes on.

NUCLEAR

The nightmare scenario is that Putin, frustrated by the lack of progress made by his troops, might turn to battlefield nuclear weapons.

He has already shown scant regard for the fallout that would cause, by shelling Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant.

It is possible President Xi of China, the only world leader Putin respects, might broker a negotiated settlement.

But NATO is less likely to make the concessions that would require, given how Putin’s behaviour has shown the need – more than ever – for a strong defensive alliance.

It is possible that ever more restrictive sanctions will convince Putin that withdrawal from Ukraine is preferable to his country’s economy being suffocated.

But Western intelligence chiefs are united in the belief that now Putin has gone into Ukraine he cannot come out without a victory, no matter the cost.

It is possible that Putin’s own people might get rid of him, so appalled will they be at bodybags piling up and the empty shop shelves they will face in towns and cities.

Unlikely as his toppling may seem it would be the best outcome for Ukraine, for Europe and for Russia.

But the generals and the spymasters would have to risk their lives to stand up to him.

And it would need the oligarchs, stripped of luxury yachts, London mansions, shell companies and other ill-gotten gains, to support them.

With Putin gone and a new leader for a new Russia, Ukraine could be returned to its people.

With Putin gone the West could reassess its security necessities and open fresh talks over the NATO presence on Russia’s borders.

With Putin gone we could once again live in peace and friendship with the Russian people we have no quarrel with.

The world would be an infinitely better place, with Putin gone.