From Mr Roland Smith
Sir, - Paul Vallely ("Putin and his
loss-averse psychology", Comment, 21 March) may have a good
understanding of the psychology of President Putin, but he shows
remarkably little willingness for the people of Ukraine to have any
say. He writes of "Western attempts to woo Ukraine out of the
Russian sphere of influence - the West's using a trade deal with
the EU and the prospect of the former Soviet satellite joining
NATO".
But in fact it was a majority of Ukrainians - including, for a
long time, former President Yanukovich - who wanted an EU
Association Agreement, and it was when Yanukovich, under pressure
from President Putin, decided not, after all, to sign that
Agreement that large numbers of Ukrainians began their
demonstrations on the Maidan, defying the cold and Yanukovich's
thugs.
Mr Vallely appears to think that neither those people nor any
other Ukrainians have any right to want EU Association, because
Ukraine's proper place is in "the Russian sphere of influence" -
whatever that means. He wants East and West to "reach a mutually
beneficial deal over the rest of Ukraine" (i.e. excluding Crimea),
maintaining it as "a buffer state between Russia and Europe",
apparently without regard to what Ukraine's 45 or so million people
might want. Indeed, he does not even mention the possibility of
Ukraine's having a seat at the table at which "East and West"
should sit down.
Surely a more Christian attitude would be to allow the people of
Ukraine the right to determine their own future.
ROLAND SMITH
(British Ambassador to Ukraine 1999-2002)
74 Alfriston Road
London SW11 6NW
