Who is to blame, Putin... or Nato?

To The Daily Telegraph

Following his assertion that we stand “four-square with the people of Ukraine”, it is good that the PM is being proactive, as Britain has an important role. Under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, signed by Bill Clinton, Boris Yeltsin and John Major, Ukraine surrendered its nuclear weapons (it held the third-largest arsenal in the world) in return for assurances that “the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine” would be respected. The signatories reaffirmed “their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine”.

In 2014, Russia dishonoured its commitment by annexing Crimea while the West looked on. Having resorted to military force with complete impunity in Georgia in 2008, and then in Crimea, Vladimir Putin could be tempted a third time. Although Ukraine is not a member of Nato, publicly ruling out a Western military response to a Russian invasion will only embolden Putin. Failure to deter Russia would raise massive fears in the Baltic states and destabilise European security.

Sir Gerald Howarth, minister for international security strategy, 2010-12, Chelsworth, Suffolk

To The Economist

You asserted that “Nato is a defensive alliance”. It is not seen that way in Russia. Our decision to expand into areas once dominated by the Soviet Union reinforced the perception that Nato is aggressively pursuing policies detrimental to Russia’s political and security interests. Russians find it difficult to understand how Nato membership for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania enhances the security of countries like Belgium, France and Iceland. Tallinn is only 200 miles from St Petersburg. The Russian reaction should have been expected. It is relatively moderate when compared with the American reaction to Moscow’s effort to establish a military presence in Cuba during the 1960s. We would have benefited more by coming up with something for the Baltic countries short of Nato membership that still enhanced their security. These decisions have helped facilitate the rise of demagoguery in Moscow. In a way, we helped create opportunities for people like Vladimir Putin to rule.

Robert Morley, formerly of the National Security Council, US