Letters to the Editor | March 4, 2025

I grew up in a Republican home in Upper Darby. My father was the judge of elections, and we had voting in our garage twice a year. When I was in elementary school, President Dwight D. Eisenhower led our country. I learned he had been a general in World War II. I could tell my parents were proud of their country. Last week I was shocked to learn we turned our back on our NATO allies. Friday, when I watched our leaders with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, I thought about Eisenhower and my parents and wondered how we could have gotten here. I have never been more ashamed of my country.

Peggy Morrissey Pillard, Philadelphia

Watching President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance grill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky left me sick to my stomach. And when they couldn’t get him to agree to a one-sided Russian agreement with zero security guarantees, they resorted to name-calling. Honest debaters argue the merits, not extraneous matters like tone and insufficient kowtowing. It was nothing short of Mafia diplomacy. Yet, Zelensky retained his dignity, cautiously argued his nation’s position, and said nothing to embarrass Trump or his team.

I couldn’t have done it. I would have responded like this: “My country and I, we believe in freedom. We believe in democracy, we believe in honor, we believe in the independence of nations, and that no nation has the right to steal land or assets from another, as Russia has and is doing to us. Freedom-loving people around the world have looked to America as a beacon of support for those exact principles. In your attempts to broker a peace deal between our nation and that of Russia, our invader, please understand that we as a people are much like you. We would rather die as men than live as dogs. Peace is very important, but not at any cost. I appeal to America to stand tall beside us.”

David W. Williams, Media

The photo on today’s Inquirer front page says it all. The duly elected president of a democratic country sits stunned as both our president and vice president wave him and his comments off with dismissive gestures and disgusted looks. Here is a man who, for three long years, has held off the military might of an invading army. While Volodymyr Zelensky persevered, Donald Trump sat scowling in multiple courtrooms, and JD Vance filled his pockets with royalties from a mediocre memoir. Yet, these men felt entitled to attack a bona fide hero in public, in a space traditionally reserved for dignified discourse, when they were unworthy of being in the same room as Zelensky. Who orchestrated this abomination? Who benefited from this ambush? Most Americans support Ukraine and appreciate Zelensky’s fortitude; they are not demanding immediate payback for our assistance to the beleaguered nation. That has been our historical role and a source of pride. The behavior of the combative pair pictured on the front page engenders no such pride, only a deep sense of shame.

Kathleen Jepsen, Kennett Square

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