Peter Reynolds

We relaxed really, complacent, appalled at the past but confident that we as civilised people would never allow a tyrant to commit genocide, cause suffering on such a scale.  But that is exactly what Putin is doing in Ukraine.

The truth is our leaders are weak, indecisive and cowardly.  There is no leadership, merely reaction to opinion polls, focus groups and newspaper headlines.  None of them has the mettle that is required.  All of them will evade any courageous decision and any action they do take will be because they have been forced into it.

This is the perfect scenario for a bully and despot like Putin but we have already seen that the courage of the people of Ukraine is beating him back.  Were it not for the sheer quantity of soldiers and firepower that he has, he would already be defeated and probably disappeared to Siberia.

I believe the people of Europe, Britain and the EU countries are courageous like the Ukrainians, far more courageous than our leaders.

The only way to deal with a bully is to stand up to him, exactly as the Ukrainians are demonstrating.  We have submitted to Putin in Syria. We have appeased him over Crimea. We have stood back and watched him flatten Mariupol and now start the forced deportation of refugees – perhaps to slave labour or extermination camps?

We must stop him. Supplying arms and aid to Ukraine is helping to hold him back and he is running out of resources to run his war.  He is being backed into a corner, so we are creating the same peril as if we were fully engaged in the war.  He could easily unleash chemical, biological or nuclear weapons without any further reason.

I believe we have the capability from US and British warships in the Black Sea to impose a no-fly zone instantly and to launch devastating cruise missiles and air strikes at his key frontline units and supply lines.

My view is we should also have special forces engaged on assassination missions, multiple teams, each trying different routes and methods to locate and kill him.  This is the ethical choice, rather than military action that inevitably kills civilians.  The US, Britain and France have the military capability for this and now is the time to act.

We must not cower in fear, for if we do continue to permit these crimes against humanity then we become complicit in them.  I and I believe the majority of European people have the courage to act now and face him down.  If we do not, we may not get another chance.