Letters: the roots of Vladimir Putins invasion ambitions – The Guardian

Andrew Rawnsley is right to note that Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine signals a global contest for the soul of our planet (Liberal democracies must defend their values and show Putin that the west isnt weak, Comment).

The current situation can be traced back to western triumphalism after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which may well have fed Putins drive to address perceived humiliation. The hubris of the west in turn fed strategic inertia and a failure to follow words with action, as in Barack Obamas refusal to act when Bashar al-Assad crossed his red lines in Syria, when Joe Biden abjectly abandoned Afghanistan, and the UK prostituted itself by accepting foreign investment without any checks on where it came from, turning London into the worlds money-laundering capital. The wealth of a small global elite now holds sway over the planet, as noted by Nick Cohen.

This in no way justifies Putins warmongering. However, I fear things will continue to get worse until and unless a new political leadership emerges that is willing and able to rebuild our economies on a more equitable and environmentally sustainable basis and make the options both electorally attractive and administratively feasible.Geoffrey PayneLondon W5

Would that our leaders might implement the punitive sanctions against Putin that Simon Tisdall suggests (Timidity, greed and sloth: why the west always loses to Putin, Focus). There are other actions that could be taken through the UN that might ease an earlier, still unresolved, refugee crisis for Europe for which Russia bears much responsibility.

Putins preoccupation with Ukraine and the near-worldwide abhorrence of his actions provide the opportunity to make a major effort to reconvene Syrian peace talks without the previous stumbling block of Putins insistence that al-Assad remains in office. A peace agreement should be followed by UN-supervised elections and both Assad and Putin facing charges at the International Criminal Court.Professor Keith BarnhamFrome, Somerset

The war in Ukraine is devastating and terrifying and Boris Johnson should not be allowed to use it for his career purposes (From partygate to Putins war: PM rides on a rare wave of unity, News). He may think of himself as a second Churchill, but it is up to the media to prevent this mistaken image from taking hold. It should be possible to find the newspaper contributions Johnson published in 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea.

Was he writing about how to preserve peace and protect democracy in Europe? Or was he already plotting to destabilise the European Union? And ever since 2014, he has spent a lot of his (and everybody elses) energy on creating disunity in the west, instead of the unity he is now suddenly praising. Johnson is no Churchill. He is still the lying opportunist he always has been.Aileen RambowLondon N10

Your leader articles cynicism concerning Johnsons promises to do anything about, let alone clean up, Russian dirty money (Putins Russia is a pariah state. A united front must complete its isolation, Editorial) is understandable. Inured by Johnsons lying, Putins has been less surprising. Its noticeable, though, that its taken some Ukrainians just a few days of the war before publicly questioning Johnsons bona fides after he made his pledges, compared to the months or even years it has taken some in his own country to do the same.David MurrayWallington, Surrey

Our use of Russian oil and gas is helping to fund Putins war machine. This affects the UK less than some European countries, but surely we and the EU can cooperate to cut back on Russian oil/gas imports, and accept some overnight power cuts as a result. It is our inconvenience against Ukrainian civilians being killed by the Russian military.Peter HenshawSherborne, Dorset

Will Hutton describes the UK university system as a demand-led market (Kicking universities is no way to solve the divide between the academic and the rest, Comment).

However, it is a perverse market. In a self-correcting functioning market, when the product yields diminishing satisfaction, demand falls, entrepreneurs reduce output and resources are transferred to more productive uses. However, education markets dont work like this. Instead, when consumers (ie students) perceive that the product (ie access to sought-after job opportunities) no longer provides this benefit, demand does not diminish; instead, many students perceive the need for more, not less, education because otherwise they may face long-term unemployment.

A-levels were once necessary for entry to many professions in the UK, then first degrees became essential, and recently those with masters and doctorates far outnumber the job opportunities they aspire to.

Proposals for lowering the level of income at which student loans kick in, and extending repayments from 30 to 40 years, will reduce the amount of debt falling on taxpayers but this delays the need to rethink the future of university funding.Lawrence LockhartBath, Somerset

Benjamin Zephaniahs experiences are an inspiration to us all (New rules will stop the likes of me going to uni Zephaniah, News). The government must be stopped in its proposals to bar any student who fails GCSE English or maths from securing higher educational loans.

The fact a person has dyslexia shouldnt inhibit their progress in life. My inabilities at school resulted in years of embarrassment when asked to stand up and read out a passage from our English books. It also led to years of questioning my ability to progress in life.

It wasnt until I entered university as a mature student that one of my lecturers, himself dyslexic, identified that I had a learning disability. Its critical that the government develops new educational systems that benefit students with dyslexia and enhances their chances of reaching their goal of entering higher education.Stuart CarruthersLewes, East Sussex

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Letters: the roots of Vladimir Putins invasion ambitions - The Guardian