HUGH Pender’s letter (HAS, Aug 8) rightly highlights the weak rhetoric offered by British and European politicians with regard to the Ukrainian crisis.

President Vladimir Putin must be quivering in terror behind his couch at the very thought of sanctions being imposed by the European Union.

He must have the same nervous state of mind that Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe had when threatened by the might of the British government. And look what became of him.

Mr Putin must be panic-stricken at the thought of not being able to export all that gas. He must be having sleepless nights worrying how European systems that can’t even find the millions in unpaid tax of its own citizens and companies, are going to trace his colleagues’ loose change.

We must only hope the arrival of the next batch of British military technology on a French warship will ease his nerves, force him to withdraw from public life, and offer up Russia to those nice people from Brussels.

B Jackson, Sacriston.