I applaud President Donald Trump’s attempts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Watching Monday’s extraordinary meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and various European leaders, I’m confident Russian President Vladimir Putin got the message: It’s time to make a deal before these nations bankrupt the Russian economy.
My hope is a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy takes place soon — not in Moscow but at Camp David. This would be a big step toward Oslo, where the Nobel Peace Prize typically is presented.
— Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach, California
Public relations victories
When President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he gives these accused war criminals undeserved recognition and respectability. Public relation victories for them and nothing but shame for the United States.
Many of the victims in Ukraine and Gaza have been children, and as a result, Putin and Netanyahu have been charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
Putin has been reproached for taking thousands of children from Ukraine who were then illegally adopted by Russian families or placed in foster homes in Russia or in Russian-held areas that were seized by the Russian military. Due to an international outcry, some of the children have been repatriated back to Ukraine, but most have not.
Likewise, Netanyahu has also been singled out by the ICC. The photo in Saturday’s Tribune of an emaciated Palestinian child (“Hunger denied as kids flood hospital”) supports the ICC’s war crime charge that Netanyahu is using starvation as a weapon in Gaza, which has become a modern-day Warsaw ghetto.
Trump keeps clamoring for a Nobel Peace Prize, but his hopes are delusional since his incompetent dealings with Putin and Netanyahu have enabled them to continue their dastardly deeds. Consequently, immoral actions and violence against children and others have gone on despite naïve campaign promises that he could end both wars quickly.
— Larry Vigon, Chicago
Trump deserves praise
Even with the hatred/dislike for Donald Trump the person, how can anyone try to foster fault with Trump our president with the effort he has made, and continues to make, to try to end the invasion by Russia in Ukraine? In his recent column, it was clear that Daniel DePetris’ intent was to project negativity toward Trump over his approach, actions and statements in trying to find the ways and means to end this tragic war (“Donald Trump reverses course on a ceasefire in Ukraine. What can Europe expect now?” Aug. 19).
First and foremost, DePetris was not in the negotiations with Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Subsequently, he does not know what was discussed or what was committed to nor the position that Putin has taken. In consideration, it is wrong to make assumptions and then cast aspersions on Trump for maybe changing his opinions, changing his mind or changing his position. It is always wise to be flexible enough to make changes when new information is brought forth, which could have very well happened in the meeting with Putin. The initial approach may have been to extract an agreement for a ceasefire, but Putin may have been amenable to a permanent solution now. Only those in the meeting know.
To categorize the mission as a failure not only is egregious, as this projection is an affront toward our president, but also, by any measure, the mission was a huge success. To take action that brings a dictator such as Putin to the table to negotiate a peace settlement is in and of itself a great milestone. To see the European leaders along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fly to Washington to collaborate on the issues involved in ending the war is a monumental success! It demonstrates that Trump’s instincts and effort are worthwhile and productive. We should be commending him as opposed to undercutting his effort.
