re: #2 CuriousLurker

You’ve said that Putin:

• Assassinates his political opponents

Such as Alexander Litvinenko.

• Equips and bankrolls rogue states and terrorist armies

Such as Iran & Syria and their satellites.

• Cuts off Eastern Europe’s gas in a harsh winter if they don’t pay unfavourable prices

No, you bloody use Google. He has done it enough times in disputes with Ukraine and Belarus that if you read the news at all you should hardly need reminding. To be honest this is because the tone of your reply was damn rude, and I didn’t expect it.

• Killed Poland’s leaders

Call it my opinion (I did). For me that plane crash had Putin written all over it but if you don’t agree, perhaps at least recall what a prick he was about the massacre in the first place.

Blackmailed Belarus

Repeatedly the gas again, and he has sovietised that country and installed his President. I think the election result is fairly well documented if you care to take a look.

Annexed north Georgia

Are you arguing with me on that as well?

Knows Crimea is his

And I was spot on. Today’s news: bbc.co.uk

You follow that with insults, calling America & Europe “a bunch of weak idiots”, singling out Obama, Merkel, and Cameron by name, then finally fuming about “breathtaking” apathy. Yet you offer no solutions of your own.

Just to treat Putin as hostile. I am angry that he is all good to host major sporting events, that trade with him was back to normal pretty soon after he did that to Georgia, that the build up in Ukraine was clearly down to him and a long time coming and there was no foresight. Granted, I wasn’t pressing for military involvement, but damn if we don’t learn a big lesson.

Why don’t you give specific examples of all the things you listed?

At least some of those things are pretty specific, and it shouldn’t be too hard to see what I’m saying. Why didn’t you actually respond to any of those things?

Then for each one of them, talk about who the European & American leaders were at the time and what, precisely, you think it is they should have done. Should they have taken action unilaterally or in concert? If the latter, then how to get everyone on board? Who’d be in charge and take the blame if things got out of control?

More fkn soviet red tape. FFS I made my point, it is what I think , I don’t have to respond to that particular challenge. NATO has friends in Eastern Europe, and together with Western Europe has a strong interest in refusing Putin inroads and the unravelling of the Soviet era. I am asking for us not to be afraid of installing troops. If you disagree, please don’t ask what my other suggestions would be. I might not have any. If you do by all means make suggestions.

If you’re not willing to do that, then this Page comes across as nothing more than a self-indulgent, petulant rant that’s entirely useless to readers.

That’s what you sound like. You said nothing at all.