Letter to the editor: U.S. should change from hawk to dove

Regarding the article “No end in sight for Ukraine war as Putin hails Victory Day” (May 9, TribLIVE): It was a terrible idea for the U.S. and other countries to support Ukraine and to give it military hardware. World leaders should have condemned Russia for threatening war and should have pressed Volodymyr Zelenskyy to resign.

Americans rushed to the conclusion that war was appropriate, and that Zelenskyy is a great leader. How do they know that? He was a comedian and media personality before becoming president of Ukraine. Why do people think celebrities deserve unlimited power over life and death? Are American comedians all gifted with great political minds and sterling character? Why is everyone dead certain Zelenskyy is of sound mind and character?

As the war goes on, Vladimir Putin is talking in more and more explicit terms about the use of nuclear weapons. He’s been talking about having missiles that could wipe out the U.K. Meanwhile, Americans forget all the rights and freedoms they have lost under American presidencies. No one is considering that Ukraine might have accepted losses in autonomy and perhaps in wealth by surrendering to Russia, but it would have saved thousands of lives.

You can’t put toothpaste back in the tube, and you can’t reverse all the death and destruction thus far, but the U.S. could change its position from hawk to dove, cease feeding weapons into the war and take a better approach to world peace. The planet is at risk.

Bruce Reisner

Perry South