As we rethink the First World War and note it was caused by well-meaning, badly thought-out treaties which left those not involved with the original problem (Britain and Germany) with the massive casualties; let’s consider the farce of the Ukraine crisis.

An elected president was deposed and not replaced by an election. A quango government has then changed his policies which caused a state of Ukraine (Crimea) to have a referendum on independence with a view to joining the Russian Federation (not becoming part of Russia), which is the equivalent of the European Union. 

The vote on a turnout of 80% had a 96% “yes” result. We then have the forced resignation of a TV boss in Ukraine by Ukranian officials for broadcasting happy Crimean faces in the wake of the Crimean vote. So much for freedom of the press.

The United Nations charter has, at its centre, the right to self-determination, and that is what we in Britain use to keep the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands British. It is very odd that we now have a vote on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom and still see a vote in Crimea as illegal because of a treaty that guaranteed the borders of Ukraine in order for it to abolish nuclear weapons.

Ukraine is not under threat but asking it to join the European Union and offering NATO membership would put US troops on the border of Russia. We should remember our treaties of non-intervention of sovereign European countries signed to bring down the Berlin Wall and end the Cold War. That had the removal of all foreign troops from European countries, something the USSR honoured only to have the satellite countries join NATO and have US troops on their soil.

Does Ukraine have a legitimate government under democratic control? As many are now demonstrating in eastern Ukraine to break away, I think not. The whole point of removing foreign troops was to have a buffer zone between NATO and Russia, which is removed by Ukraine joining the European Union. Do we even want Ukraine, a former major partner of the Soviet Union, in the European Union? Who has asked our current citizens?

R P Lambeth, Martin Road, Hove