Dear President Putin,

I am an 81-year-old man from England, born during the Battle of Stalingrad, when Great Britain and Russia were allies, fighting Hitler's Germany. I write this on Holocaust Memorial Day, the 80th anniversary of the closure of the Nazi death camps in which up to six millions Jews and other ethnic minorities in Europe perished.

Strange as it may seem, this letter is also prompted by a truly memorable performance of Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony that I heard recently. It was given by the world-famous Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, originally from Venezuela.

Written towards the end of Tchaikovsky's short life, this masterpiece must surely be one of the greatest symphonies of all time. It is something of which Russia is justly proud, yet now the world flinches at the prospect of Russia's continued annexation of its smaller neighbour, Ukraine, and the very real prospect of a third World War. I am relieved to hear that you are keen to cut back on nuclear because the prospect of an all-out nuclear war is simply unthinkable.

May I respectfully suggest that history will not judge your efforts to 'make Russia great again' kindly. We have already seen how radically things have changed, even during my lifetime. Many Europeans are acutely mindful of Russia's wonderful culture and heritage, including Tchaikovsky, Tolstoy, Chekov, Dostoyevsky and many other visionary figures. Also, the composers Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Stravinsky, all of whom were persecuted by Stalin but are now universally revered.

I am also mindful that Great Britain and other European former colonial powers are hardly in a position to criticise Russia for its perceived colonial ambitions. However, we have now moved to a new era when the vast majority of former colonies have now achieved independence. It seems to me that we should now be focussed on helping these 'third world' countries achieve a higher standard of living and not be the subjects of economic exploitation.

The world is now witnessing negotiations to end the terrible Israel vs. Hamas conflict. Whilst success is by no means assured, it shows that such accords can be achieved. I believe you are in a unique position to broker the end of the European conflict. Whist war crimes have undoubtedly been committed on both sides, restorative justice could be achieved by a Truth and Reconciliation Commission as in South Africa in 1996 after the end of apartheid.

Then we could all unite to defeat Climate Change, the mass extinction of species and all the other existential threats that the world faces.

Surely it is better to revolve with the wheel of history rather than be broken on the wheel of fortune. There is not a moment to lose!

Yours truly,

Mr Julian Hall