Fight for a peace

To the editor:

There appears to be no end to Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine. Since its invasion, Russia has committed countless war crimes by attacking civilians, infrastructure and cultural institutions. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called the Russian government a terrorist state that must be stopped before it attacks Europe. He also said that Ukraine will reclaim all territory lost to Russia and “will never surrender.”

President Vladimir Putin, in turn, has called the war a “sacred duty to our ancestors and descendants.” The country, he said, was fighting for “peace and security guarantees” and “moral and historical righteousness is on our side.”

Both President Joe Biden and NATO talk of victory, pledging to support Kyiv “as long as it takes.” The administration has rejected Zelensky’s pleas for certain advanced weapons that Biden said could result in World War III, while it has provided Ukraine this year with $100 billion. 

When 30 progressive Democrats wrote a letter supporting aid to Ukraine, and also pushing for negotiations, it was immediately withdrawn after fierce criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Recently, more than 1,000 faith leaders in the U.S. called for a Christmas truce.  They urged the administration to take a leading role in calling for a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement. Biden ignored them.

Meanwhile, the war escalates with already hundreds of thousands of casualties and millions of displaced Ukrainians. There will be dire consequences for the world if the current stalemate continues and it becomes a war of attrition and extended conflict. 

When poorly trained and ill-equipped Russian soldiers bitterly complained about suicide missions ordered by their superiors, and accidental shootings of their own troops, two brilliant anti-war films came to mind: Stanley Kubrick’s “Paths of Glory” and the Marx Brothers’ “Duck Soup.” The injustice, inhumanity, pointlessness and madness inherent in most wars remains a constant. 

Howard Elterman