Readers' letters: Vladimir Putin got everything he wanted from Alaska summit

There was also no mention of energy sanctions which Trump said he would impose on major Russian oil importer India if his demands for a ceasefire were not met, instead he seemed set on getting a peace deal out of the way so that he could make a trade deal with Russia and carve up Arctic resources.

Peace, however, appears illusive and while a naive Trump later declared that he still felt it was “within reach” his slumped body language contrasted with a cunning and confident Putin who had not only avoided more sanctions but was back on the world stage.

While thousands die on the front line, the way forward remains Trump further sanctioning the Russian economy. Meanwhile, European governments should use seized Russian assets to fund the Ukrainian war effort.

Peace is not “closer than ever” as Keir Starmer maintains and an emboldened Putin has to be made to face economic ruin. Putin is still tapping Trump along, as Trump himself previously put it, to delay peace and intensify the war. Like fellow war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu, he needs to feel the heat to climb down. Instead, he too has been pacified and remains as cold as an Alaskan winter. No pain means no peace.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

What a carve-up

Of course Presidents Trump and Putin have nothing to say about their Alaskan meeting. They were talking about who will get what in the world carve-up they are planning for their own countries. Russia wants to be the USSR again, and America wants to colonise. Surely that is obvious.

Malcolm Parkin, Kinnesswood, Perth & Kinross

‘Greater’ Israel

Behjamin Netanyahu brazenly claims that he is on a historic and spiritual mission to achieve the vision of a greater Israel which includes Jordan. Such incendiary comments are bound to stir regional strife and ensure perpetual hate and terrorism.

Jordan has played a pivotal role in regional and global stability and in delivering humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza. Netanyahu is a war criminal and cannot be allowed to bully other nations.

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob, London

Just the tickets

The removal of peak rail fares in Scotland from September is a welcome and overdue step towards making public transport more affordable and encouraging people out of their cars.

However, I am concerned by how this policy has been presented to the public. ScotRail’s messaging claims that passengers will now pay “the same fare no matter what time they travel.” In reality, this risks being misleading by omission: on some routes, split-ticketing or advance fares can still be cheaper than the new “any time” price.

For many passengers, particularly those in vulnerable circumstances who cannot easily shop around, such omissions can make the difference between travel being affordable or not. Consumer Scotland has published clear guidance that public bodies should communicate transparently and avoid creating barriers to informed choices. I fear that, in this case, the marketing of a positive policy risks undermining public trust. Especially as Transport Scotland’s own analysis suggested a hit for those who rely on the cheapest ticket types soon to be removed.

If Scotland is serious about achieving net zero, we need more people to choose rail. But behaviour change depends on trust. Public bodies must be scrupulous in how they communicate, not over-simplifying at the expense of accuracy. I urge Transport Scotland, Scottish Rail Holdings and ScotRail to update their messaging to include clear caveats and worked examples, so that passengers can have full confidence in the value of their ticket.

George Eckton, Glasgow

Yobs on buses

Giving free bus travel to under-23s was bound to be a recipe for trouble (Scotsman, 16 August), including taxpayer-funded shoplifting sprees. Its architects are clearly divorced from reality in their bourgeois SNP-socialist bubble.

The good news; right now the South East of Scotland Transport Partnership is conducting a survey on the future of bus services. If readers don’t have time to plough through the survey (which ends with impertinent questions about ethnicity and sexual orientation!), they can write to SEStran’s Strategy Manager Rachel Murphy using the sestran.gov.uk/contact form (before 25 August), stating their views on free travel.

George Morton, Rosyth, Fife

Dying faith

Rodney Pinder writes about the sale of church buildings (Letters, 14 August). In this 21st century many people here and in Europe simply no longer believe in God. A poll a couple of years ago suggested that around 70 per cent of young people had no religious beliefs at all.

Resignations amongst the clergy, whose income is now derisory compared to jobs in the outside world, outnumber recruits.

That the Church of of Scotland is one of the wealthiest landowners in the country says everything.

In business terms ministers are the salespersons; religion is the product. The product is no longer selling.

I apologise if I offend believers, but when churches are being closed with monotonous regularity and the salespersons are leaving in droves to earn a living wage, the existence and future of both churches and and Christianity are open to debate.

Doug Morrison, Tenterden, Kent

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