Readers' Letters: Trump betrays own people as much as his friends and allies

Rona McCall, Strath, Gairloch

Oligarchy ahead?

At the Munich Security Conference, Vice President JD Vance brashly announced a “new sheriff” was in town. He failed to mention his President was packing the Colt 45 “Peacemaker” that verbally gunned down President Zelensky in the Oval Office, destroying in the process any sense of true statesmanship and international diplomacy. Outrageous behaviour! Who can understand it? Something more must be afoot beyond Ukraine. A clue may lie in the choice of Riyadh for “the Trump Posse’s” first meeting with “the Putin Gang” where other big picture issues were discussed. What might they be?

Remember the “drill baby drill” mantra: carbon energy is the most significant common denominator. No fans of net zero and holding 30 per cent of the world’s oil and gas reserves, the triumvirate of America, Russia and Saudi Arabia is a ready-made, carbon-energy oligarchy. Their influence extends well beyond energy reserves: manipulating world energy prices, for example, would help Putin wind down his war economy and achieve a more rapid recovery, post-war with Ukraine.

Achieving the “granddaddy” of all peace deals we know is another Trump ambition – the ultimate fulfilment of the “Art of the Deal”. This would need rapprochement with China (unlikely now but conceivable in a Trump future). Then America, China, and Russia (the three Strong Men) can sit together and negotiate. And on the table? Perhaps a new non-proliferation treaty and phased nuclear disarmament (conventional weapons will suffice for any future gunboat diplomacy). A win-win for each autocrat in their respective spheres of influence, plus the hope of a Nobel Peace prize for Sheriff Trump. A perverse outcome in a moral universe, but not in the transactional dystopia of a Trumpian cosmos. God save us from all dictators and demagogues – and strengthen our defences, quickly!

Ewen Peters, Newton Mearns, Glasgow

Unfair abuse

I watched Friday’s meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky with growing anger and disrespect for Donald Trump, who treated Mr Zelensky with utter disdain.

I can imagine how Trump would react if he were to be spoken to as if he was a recalcitrant son getting a lecture from his abusive father. Mr Zelensky showed restraint, and should be praised for his tolerance. He has lost his territory, his people have been slaughtered, and Russia has plans to seize the entire Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. I respect Mr Zelensky for his fortitude in this situation, but I could see the pain in his eyes as Trump wagged his finger at him and told him he was not in a good situation.

For goodness sake – he knows that. There was no need to rub it in.

Carolyn Taylor, Broughty Ferry, Dundee

US bullies

Volodymyr Zelensky has certainly endured a tumultuous week. The relentless bullying he faced from Trump and Vance, which the former described as being “good television", has surely gone viral. In these moments, they both lost all credibility and support, even from many within America itself. Undoubtedly, we've not heard the last of this.

Apart from Volodymyr Zelensky himself, the person, who deserves most credit throughout these events is Keir Starmer, described as perhaps having his “Falklands moment”. With his embrace of Zelensky at Sunday's European Summit, in a welcome warmer than any words, he helped put Ukraine at the very centre of any peace agreement.

America's loss of any moral purpose is Europe's gain, unifying the continent as rarely seen before. No more talk of being “thankful to the President”, whose interest was transactional gain, and hopefully, a lot more European action in the pursuit of harmonious peace.

Ian Petrie, Edinburgh

Take another look

Leading up to Donald Trump's first term in office and between the end of that term and his re-election, there were investigations of possible links between himself and the Russian State, including an investigation led by Marco Rubio, now in Trump's cabinet of course, confirming state interference by Russia into that 2016 election. After the shenanigans witnessed by the world at the White House last week is there not now an extremely strong case for opening up these investigations once again?

David Reid, Dunfermline, Fife

Rescind invitation

Why should King Charles have the visit of a convicted felon inflicted upon him?

Charles has already met with Volodymyr Zelensky, so he’ll have a had a first-hand account of the disgusting verbal attack on the Ukrainian President by Trump and his equally unprincipled Deputy JD Vance, which has reverberated around this country and Europe.

If, perhaps, it’s too late to cancel the State visit or it would simply pour oil on the fire to do so, the uncouth and aggressive Trump should be warned we expect nothing but respect for our monarch.

For once, I agree with First Minister John Swinney when he says that if Trump doesn’t continue support for Ukraine, his invitation for a State visit should be withdrawn. All the while Trump fiddles, Ukrainians are dying, being maimed and fleeing the bombs.

Not one to deliberately put himself in danger, like Putin, Trump should do as Zelensky actually does: visit Ukraine and go into the frontline trenches.

All in all, Trump’s real interest is a $500 billion earth minerals “deal”.

Doug Morrison, Tenterden, Kent

PETA problems

In responding to Brian Monteith’s Scotsman article revealing some of the ethical contradictions around animal welfare (Perspective, 25 February) the letter from PETA communications manager Jennifer White (28 February) is a classic of the “non-denial denial” genre.

Mr Monteith pointed out the fact that PETA does not spend any money on rescue centres in the UK and Ms White confirmed this, but omitted to say that the PETA shelter she mentions in Virginia, US, has faced huge criticism for its high euthanasia rates – more than 49,000 animals perishing since 1998, far higher than the rates of other animal shelters.

She claims PETA is supportive of pet ownership, but her organisation has a long history opposing keeping pets, including its founder, Ingrid Newkirk, who said, “pet ownership is an absolutely abysmal situation brought about by human manipulation”.

Finally, Ms White attempted to defend a PETA campaign comparing farms to the Holocaust, because it was conceived by someone of Jewish faith. This does not alter the repulsive nature or deny the fact it was attacked by Jewish and human rights groups in the US.

For an organisation that claims to stand up for animals, such insensitive and morally indefensible attempts to grab headlines only goes to demonstrate PETA should not be thought of in the same way as genuine animal welfare charities like the RSPCA, which is what Mr Monteith was arguing.

Linda Holt, Pittenweem, Fife

Power shortage

Both the UK and Scottish Governments should pay heed to the conclusions from recent analyses by Kallum Pickering of investment bank Peel Hunt, amongst others, that a decline in electricity availability equates to economic decline.

Further exacerbating this present decline in our electricity supply and energy security is the massive growing demand for electricity from the banks of computers required to drive new Artificial Intelligence technology.

This new demand has been estimated by some US investors as actually doubling a country’s previous electricity requirements.

Given the reality of such radical changes needed in electricity supply, surely Scotland’s vast tidal stream power resource, such as the underdeveloped Pentland Firth with its estimated 60 Gigawatt capacity, must now be expedited, along with Coire Glas and the other five sites identified for the pumped storage of electricity.

New Grid infrastructure building must also become a priority, with power lines protected and buried in pipelines for ease of long-term sustainable operation.

Short term thinking and economies using high voltage pylons vulnerable to high winds and increasingly inclement weather from climate change should no longer be an option.

Clearly, the UK’s future economic and energy security requires a greatly increased electricity supply. Achieving this will demand managerial and operational change. Perhaps new structures are needed to expedite the long-term financing and deliver the co-operation needed between our government and the electrical engineering industry?

Elizabeth Marshall, Edinburgh

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