Sir, – As far as I am aware no lives have been taken by Russian troops in Ukraine, yet Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore has carpeted the Russian ambassador over the "breach of international law" and failing to "respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity" (Home News, March 5th).
Yet during President Obama’s term of office, US drones have killed dozens of people (including innocent bystanders) in attacks in Pakistan which breach international law and violate Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and I don’t recall the US ambassador being carpeted.
Double standards again? – Yours, etc,
HARRY McCAULEY,
Maynooth Park,
Maynooth,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – Arthur Denny (March 5th) makes one mistaken assumption, one unproven accusation and uses facts selectively. The cold war ended a generation ago and Nato has changed its functions and is not aimed at encircling Russia. The new government has shown no interest in joining Nato in its day-to-day struggle to maintain the country’s independence. He ignores the vote in the parliament that voted to replace Viktor Yanukovych. Hardly a coup d’etat. He makes no mention of the 67 violent deaths inflicted by the security forces under the authority of Mr Yanukovych, or the dubious imprisonment of Yulia Timoshenko, his electoral rival. In addition, Amnesty International reports for 2012/2013 outline accounts of police brutality that met little or no sanction.
President Putin makes great play of protecting the rights of the Russian speakers in Ukraine to justify moving troops to occupy barracks and public buildings and airports. There are areas of the Russian Federation that would like to secede, areas that have Muslim populations. Imagine Russia’s reaction if troops from other Muslim countries attempted to occupy airports there to protect non-Russian speakers in those areas. – Yours, etc,
ROLAND EVANS,
Dundela Park,
Sandycove,
Co Dublin.