Biden’s military aid boost will please arms makers

The article Motivated but outgunned, Ukrainian soldiers talk of life on the southern front (Spotlight, 29 April) points out the slowness of arms coming into Ukraine to fight the Russians. But this is about to change with Biden’s unveiling of a massive new aid package of $20.4bn in military aid to Ukraine and its Nato allies.

Arms manufacturers must be excited about Biden’s announcement, particularly his pledge to send arms for a long time. A protracted war is in their best interests. As Daniel Ellsberg recently pointed out: “Russia is an indispensable enemy.” It must also be stated that the taxpayer is funding this entire arms donation.

The steady, protracted supply of arms has meant the deaths of millions of innocent people. It’s already in the thousands in Ukraine. When will this madness stop?

Robert Milan Victoria, BC, Canada

• Vladimir Putin is developing into the Pol Pot of the 21st century. He took no responsibility for the murder of 283 passengers on Malaysian Airlines flight 17 shot down by a Russian rocket over eastern Ukraine in July 2014 and he has gone on to oversee the murder of thousands of innocent Ukrainians using Russia’s nuclear threat as a deterrent against western intervention. This threat by Putin needs to be called out by the west, who should do what the Vietnamese did when they confronted Pol Pot, and subsequently saved what remained of Cambodia.

The Ukrainians have no hope of beating the Russians militarily. But with proper western military support, Russia would be defeated quite quickly and steps could begin to put Putin on trial at the international court in the Hague.

Frank Adshead

Mona Vale, NSW, Australia