The West must support Ukraine, not reward Putin’s brutal aggression

SIR – David Kelly (Letters, November 12) is right: there can be no compromise with Russia. Western support for Ukraine must be maintained, all sovereign territory seized by Russia returned to Ukraine and reparations paid. Failure to secure these objectives will not just mean rewarding Putin’s brutal aggression, but will serve to embolden him to undertake further military adventures.

Alarming rumours that the US might try to persuade President Zelensky to “compromise” remind us all of the catastrophic retreat from Kabul ordered by President Biden last year, over which the UK was not consulted. Washington must reassure its allies that no such mistake will be repeated. Sir Gerald Howarth

Chelsworth, Suffolk

SIR – Your correspondents (Letters, November 12) are absolutely right; Russia must be defeated, Putin must go, and there can be no compromises. Anything that cedes even an inch of Ukrainian territory after Russia’s blatant aggression, failure to honour treaties and multiple war crimes will have consequences that will resonate around the world.

Leaving aside the fact that the loss of its coastlines around Crimea and the Sea of Azov will permanently impoverish Ukraine and hand Russia more of the resources it has used as leverage against the West, every former Soviet republic not already under the umbrella of NATO will see that the democratic West will blink in the face of nuclear blackmail and not reliably come to their aid, leaving them with the choice of kowtowing to Moscow or seeking China’s protection.

Worse, every belligerent nation will learn that the possession of nuclear weapons insulates them against the worst consequences of their aggressive actions. It is essential that dictators and fanatics see that we will not allow the possession of such weapons to give them carte blanche to commit crimes against peace, international law and humanity.

The West is at a critical moment in its history. If the 19th century was the British century, and the 20th the American one, for a moment after the end of the Cold War we dared hope that the 21st might become the democratic century. Instead, if we do not defend what we stand for, both at home and abroad, we risk a new age of rapacious dictators, religious and nationalistic fundamentalism, and empires whose legacy will be suppression and domination. This is about more than Ukraine, but Ukraine is where the first line must be drawn. Victor Launert

Matlock Bath, Derbyshire

SIR – The Ukrainian armed forces are brave, resourceful, well-trained and, thanks to the West, very well-armed. A great proportion of the population now have experience of warfare, so the prospect of taking on Ukraine, should it become a member state of NATO, would surely make any future attacker of a NATO country think twice. Anna-britt Nicholson