President Trump’s Ukrainian Peace Talks
Dear Editor: We Ukrainians are tired of this war and we really want peace. But we want long-lasting and just peace. There is a good phrase: “If Russia stops fighting, there will be no war. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no Ukraine.”
In the beginning, I had some expectations that Trump could make Russia stop the war with some good deal for Ukraine. Right now, it looks extremely unlikely. I think it is time to talk about peace negotiations with Russia but real ones. I mean it shouldn’t be a capitulation. If not — we don’t have any other option than to keep on fighting. It is also important for Ukraine and Europe to be part of the negotiations of any peace process. We cannot let Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump divide the world between themselves.
I am proud to have such a president as Volodymyr Zelensky. He stayed strong in the first days of the Russian full-scale
invasion, and it was crucial. He did a great job. He was courageous enough not to run away abroad. His example
was so inspiring, that there was no doubt about whether should we fight back with the second-largest army in the world.
I think Zelensky is a good leader. He is a charismatic person. He can say the uncomfortable truth straight to your
face. I think he is the best candidate to be president during a war we could have ever imagined.
Surely, he is not perfect, and like every politician does something we can argue about. But I think Zelensky is a good president.
Yarema Semaniv
Kiev, Ukraine
Seeing Engaging Journalism
Dear Editor: Thanks for the examples of inspiring work that I find in The Tablet and Currents News to discuss with my journalism students at St. John’s University.
A case in point was Christine Persichette’s Feb. 18 Currents News piece on Father Richard Rock, chaplain for the school’s athletics programs. It wasn’t because it was a St. John’s story, but because of Persichette’s engaging writing, the focus on the
connection of faith to the athletes, and hearing directly from players and Father Rock that made for a well-produced and interesting three-minute journalism profile.
Michael Rizzo
Jamaica
Editor’s note: Michael Rizzo is an assistant professor of Journalism at St. John’s University in Jamaica, Queens.
Thank You to Bishop Robert Brennan
Dear Editor: I was very impressed by Bishop Robert Brennan’s column (Religious Freedoms Must Be Honored by Immigration Officials, Feb 8).
Addressing the challenge of immigration to our country, Bishop Brennan offered a thorough and balanced description of the current need for reform of our policies and procedures regarding immigrants and refugees.
Additionally, he stressed the responsibility of Catholics to help our brothers and sisters who have entered our borders as refugees and migrants in search of a safer life and who are frightened.
In regard to this complex problem, Bishop Brennan encouraged a patient dialogue and sincere listening among all who have varied opinions about how to address this many-layered situation. I would hope that this column would go beyond the audience of the Diocese of Brooklyn and reach a more national audience.
This article would be a great starter for open discussion and collaborative dialogue on an issue that cannot be ignored.
Sister Betty Calfapietra, RSM
Whitestone