Reading Mr.Derieg's letter last week calling for peace negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine I am reminded of the saying from the Bible 'Blessed are the peacemakers they shall inherit the Earth'. But what if the peacemakers are demonstrably biased and use conspiracy theories rather than frameworks defended by research?

According to Mr.Derieg the conflict is really a war between NATO and Russia with the hapless Ukrainians being used as fighters helping to promote US global hegemony. What an appalling insult to the Ukrainian people. Clearly Mr. Derieg has no understanding of how a clear majority of Ukrainians view their struggle.

His ignorance is stunning - he has obviously not read the definitive book by Catherine Belton which carries the ominous title: Putin's People: How the KGB took back Russia and then took on the West.

Her book meticulously documents how Putin, having got control of the levers of power ln Russia went on to develop his imperialist plan for creating a Common Economic Space involving Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Hitler talked of lebensraum (living space) and demanded that Germany should have territorial rights so that a greater Germany could be created.

Putin's plan is an exact equivalent but it has been shattered by the amazing strength of Ukrainian democracy flowing from the Orange revolution. If Mr.Derieg wants to create peace then let him first name names and discuss just how difficult it would be.

Putin is a fascist trained by the KGB to destroy democracy and create terror in the minds of anybody who opposes him. Most NATO members are being drawn into the conflict because they recognise that the struggle is between democracy and fascism. (Notice that proto-fascist Hungary (a NATO member) is a notable exception effectively supporting Putin rather than NATO).

If peace talks are to be campaigned for than we need to know on what basis. Does Ukraine have right to self-determination? Or will it be dismembered by using the idea that Russian-speaking areas have the right to cede hence echoing the classic fascist trope that Hitler mobilised in annexing the German speaking area of Czechoslovakia ?

So Mr.Derieg are you a genuine peacemaker with no hidden agenda or are you an apologist for Putin?

Andy Treacher,

Stroud,