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LETTER: No room for negotiation between Russia, Ukraine

'Negotiating with a wrong-doer usually leads to the innocent aggrieved having to give up something they shouldn’t have to. In this case, it is freedom,' letter writer says
2022-05-17 typing pexels-donatello-trisolino-1375261
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BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following is in response to 'LETTER: War in Ukraine sparks haunting memories of WWII,' published March 27.

By hearing the sirens, explosions and other sounds of the Second World War when the writer was young in England, she would know first-hand what children and their parents are going through in Ukraine. They are not going through this in Russia. I can’t tell whether she is aware of this duality.

Ukraine and its civilian population are under gruesome, immoral, murderous military attack. Apartment buildings, schools and playgrounds have all been bombed. Ukraine has not similarly attacked Russia. Ukrainians are defending their freedom. Ukraine is merely defending itself and its people, even though widespread Kremlin disinformation tries to paint a different picture. Ukraine has been flourishing and has had seven fair elections and changes in government since 1991, all peaceful despite the Kremlin’s best efforts to meddle. This has dumbfounded and infuriated the next-door imperialist dictator Putin, ruling since 1999.

Undoubtedly, most people in the world don’t want war or any other violence. However, the writer’s belief in negotiation and having to “see each other’s point of view” is wishful thinking, seemingly without substantial knowledge of what is truly going on.

The writer quotes Churchill, who commented that talk is better than war, which I can understand would be said in a certain context. But she failed to mention that Churchill refused to negotiate with Hitler. It was a difficult stand to take, but it helped to defeat Hitler and Nazi Germany. Similarly, Ukraine’s President Zelensky has no other choice.

Imagine if some erratic US president was to come along and have his army invade and claim parts of Canada. What would you negotiate away?

Negotiating with a wrong-doer usually leads to the innocent aggrieved having to give up something they shouldn’t have to. In this case, it is freedom. There is no need nor room for negotiation. The formula for peace: Russian troops should go home, stop the terrorist missile attacks and mind their own business. 

Eugene Cholkan
Oro-Medonte