Sir, I was puzzled by Gerard Baker's conclusion that the EU has been soft on Russia (“Europe wins gold medal for defeatism”, Opinion, Aug 15). In my view the EU and Nato have been inexplicably tough on Russia ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. Firstly, they were given awful advice by EU experts which led to the economic chaos of the 1990s that brought this giant country to its knees. The EU then embraced dozens of former Russian client statelets without subjecting them to the kind of political, social and economic rigour that countries like Turkey faced and still face in their decades-long bid to join the EU gravy train. In fact, some of these former Warsaw Pact countries are no more than semi-criminal entities run by a cabal of modern-day robber barons often depicted as reformists by the EU and most of the media in the West.

The EU then gave its moral support to the separatist rebels in Chechnya, although it fully well knew that the rebel ranks contained fanatical Islamists and criminal elements from the local mafia. Worst of all Nato was given the green light to reach Russia’s ancient borders without consulting Moscow or showing any sensitivity toward Russia’s age-old fears of encirclement. To add insult to injury they are told, rather patronisingly, that NATO is “not against Russia”. But Russians are not fooled; they know military alliances are always against somebody.

The latest humiliation is Nato’s ill-advised encouragement of regional hotheads like Saakashvili in their dangerous bear-baiting games. No wonder the bear eventually snapped and mauled one of its smaller tormentors.

Ahmed Mohamed
London E9

Explore Letters

• Feedback