The world is now at the mercy of Trump’s Republican Party

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Donald Trump’s claims that Ukraine started the war against Russia and that President Zelensky is a dictator are clearly false (“Trump aide tells Zelensky to ‘tone it down’ as US cancels Kyiv press conference”, Thursday 20 October).

But it’s obvious that Trump firmly believes his claims to be true. He is, frankly, deluded.

In preparation for his discussion with him, Keir Starmer would do well to seek the advice of someone experienced in dealing with such deluded people. Maybe being a politician turned psychotherapist may be his best way to proceed.

While Trump remains in office he is a risk to his own country, as well as to the rest of the world. It is essential that he be removed, and it is his own party who must initiate the proceedings before he causes a global catastrophe.

No one else can do it. Humanity is at the mercy of the Republican Party.

Susan Alexander

Frampton Cotterell, South Gloucestershire

The West have been cowards from the start

The prime minister’s new plan for a peace-keeping force is not so much a “plan” as a vanity project by Starmer and Emmanuel Macron (“Starmer sending British troops to Ukraine makes little military sense… but is concentrating minds”, Tuesday 18 February).

The 30,000 troops they now propose to supply to Ukraine were needed in 2022. If we were not prepared to provide them, then to support Ukraine we should never have encouraged Kyiv to continue in a conflict it could never win alone.

As a consequence, rather than negotiating with Russia as early as April 2022, Ukraine has given everything to defend its sovereignty and now may be forced into a US-backed settlement that leaves it virtually bankrupt and seemingly gives Russia everything it wants.

The level of heroism exhibited by the Ukrainians is a stark contrast to the cowardice of Western politicians who should have involved themselves fully, rather than encouraging and cajoling a noble people into prolonging an unwinnable conflict from behind a fence they are pretending to sit on.

Leo Thomas

Manchester

Peace in our time

In advance of talks with President Putin, President Trump says that Russia holds all the cards (“Trump says Putin ‘holds the cards’ as Zelensky set to meet US envoy”, Thursday 20 February).

A typical bully caving in to the first person who stands up to him.

He sounds to me like the modern-day Neville Chamberlain, declaring “peace in our time”.

What our country needs now is the modern-day Winston Churchill, and, sadly, I don’t see anybody in the current government able to fill this role.

International events are unfolding at a rapid pace, and the current Labour Party is simply not equipped to defend us, though I applaud Starmer for standing with President Zelensky in the face of Trump’s vile comments.

Surely, an emergency general election is justified. If only there were enough Labour MPs willing to put the country first and force a vote of no confidence in the government.

Tony Taylor

Woodthorpe, York

Nutcase in chief

Does anyone know the USA’s constitutional position in the event that their president is declared medically nuts? (“Donald Trump must be persuaded he is wrong about Ukraine”, Wednesday 19 February).

Seems the best way forward to me.

John Harvey

Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire

It’s children who are paying the price

I read Madeline Sherratt’s recent article and was devastated (“11-year-old took her own life after classmates threatened to call ICE on her family, devastated mother reveals”, Wednesday 19 February).

This poor young girl was subjected to such heinous bullying from classmates. It begs the question, how was this allowed to continue?

Jocelynn Rojo Carranza’s young life was tragically cut short, and her parents’ lives are forever ruined by this toxic behaviour.

Children everywhere appear to be the terrible collateral damage of adult’s inhumanity to one another.

Children haven’t the autonomy to change their circumstances, but they absorb all their parent’s fears and those presented in the media, so their minds become consumed by overriding angst and panic.

It is shameful that children have to suffer in this way because of the culture we’ve created. Future history books will be damning in their conclusions.

Judith A. Daniels

Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

Make it make sense!

The typical news presentation of inflation and income statistics needs to be changed to be much easier to interpret (“Private school fees and food price rises push inflation to highest level in 10 months”, Wednesday 19 February).

It is just too hard to usefully interpret graphs showing percentage changes in rates.

A graph showing a reduction in the rate of inflation convinces certain people that it will reflect a reduction in income rates, this is absurd.

If a graph instead showed the changes in the relevant price index, it would be much clearer.

What we need is for graphs to compare the increases in the price index with the increase in income.

Please will the ONS and the quality press try harder to achieve useable clarity!

Tony Baker

Thirsk, North Yorkshire

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