Sir, Your report “Gazprom demand increases strains on Ukraine’s finances” (January 28) adds to the fashionable and purposeless guesswork on what could happen in and about Ukraine in the relatively near future. Instead of remaining an uninvolved spectator, it’s high time the EU took decisive steps to support Ukraine on its way to a European future. There is a vital need for concrete deliverables, such as the IMF stand-by programme, EU macrofinancial assistance, disbursement of funds for the modernisation of the Ukrainian gas transit system, as well as the signing of the Association Agreement, including establishment of a free trade area. These will give Ukraine a chance to resist the ever stronger external pressure and to safeguard its sovereign European choice.