A response to Kelly Scoles letter:

Hi Kelly,

Thank you for granting me amnesty this week by choosing to respond to Jean McLeod’s letter instead of mine. Beware, however, my patience will return for next week’s joust, God willing.

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REALITIES is too long this week, therefore, will be published in its entirety online. Sorry for any inconvenience. Full version online at www.fillmoregazette.com.

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Here are a few facts illustrating the outrageous betrayal of Ukraine amidst life-or-death warfare. To our friends (like Ukraine), be fair, honest, and loyal! To our enemies (like Russia), defeat.

Who is Ukraine? It’s a friend who has fought for three years to keep Russian killers out of Europe, at the cost of 100,000 Ukrainian lives.

What is Russia? Russia today is a hyper-aggressive dictatorship headed by Vladimir Putin, who has murdered millions.

“Over 6 million refugees fleeing Ukraine are recorded across Europe, while an estimated 8 million others had been displaced within the country by late May 2022.”

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which had started in 2014. To date fighting and air strikes have inflicted over 40,000 civilian casualties, while 4 million people are internally displaced, and 6.8 million have fled Ukraine.14.6 million people need humanitarian assistance.

On March 2, “141 of 193 UN member states voted to condemn Russia’s invasion in an emergency UN General Assembly session, demanding that Russia immediately withdraw from Ukraine.”

In three years of war Russia has nibbled away about 18 percent of Ukraine while losing an extraordinary number of its fighting assets. For example, “The total number of dead and wounded is at nearly one million. Russia is estimated to have lost almost 10,000 tanks in Ukraine, Jan 26, 2025, 369 Russian planes and 331 helicopters were shot down by February 2025. Russia now loses more than 1,000 soldiers per day.”

Trump shows no respect for Ukraine’s struggle. He kicks a beleaguered Zelensky as “A Dictator without Elections” and threatens “Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.” In other words, he will facilitate the handover of Ukraine to Russia?

I insist that I’m still an ardent Trump supporter, BUT I resent these false characterizations of a valiant Ukrainian president. I have to say, with friends like this, who needs enemies!

All this talk about making Ukraine repay $500 billion to the US for American war aid: Question: Did we demand repayment of those billions given to Europe, especially England, in Marshall Plan assistance after 6-years of war? Answer, no. “The Marshall Plan was a grant program, so recipient countries did not need to repay the United States. However, they did contribute about 5% of the money to cover administrative costs.” We did this as a reasonable, moral, Judeo-Christian, and practical thing to do – while revitalizing a war-ravaged world. Why this hostility and disgraceful hostile attitude, and defamation of a friend of America fighting our second greatest enemy? Did Roosevelt continue in office beyond his constitutional 4-year term? Was martial law declared during WWII? “Yes, the United States declared martial law in Hawaii after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.” “Ukrainian law prohibits holding elections in wartime (unlike the US Constitution, which requires it).” Zelensky will leave if Ukraine guaranteed protection. Question: Would the loss of Ukraine to Russia in 2025 be less important than the loss of Poland in 1939?

Did Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo start WWII? Yes, of course, and Russia started the Ukraine war as the world watched, expecting victory in a few days.

But, Trump says Ukraine “should have never started war with Russia” and characterizes Zelensky as a “dictator” and his calls to end the conflict on terms favorable to Russia.

Zellensky says Trump is in a “Russian disinformation bubble.” Trump hit back Wednesday in a Truth Social post awash with falsehoods. He called Zelensky “A Dictator without Elections” and reiterated his assertion from the day before that the Ukrainian president was “very low” in the polls. But Ukrainian law prohibits holding elections in wartime (unlike the US Constitution, which requires it) and “According to a recent survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 57 percent of Ukrainians trust Zelensky. An October 2024 poll published by the International Republican Institute found that 69 percent of Ukrainians approved of his actions.

Estimates suggest that more than 800,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or severely wounded, making this one of the deadliest conflicts for Russia since World War II. Over 400,000 U.S. service members died in World War II, making it the deadliest conflict in U.S. history in the 20th century. Ukraine: It should be noted that Politico, citing American military officials, recently wrote that during the full-scale Russian war against Ukraine, more than 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded.”

Over 6 million refugees fleeing Ukraine are recorded across Europe, while an estimated 8 million others had been displaced within the country by late May 2022.

“A Dictator without Elections, Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.” How can Zelensky move any faster? He’s out-maned and out-gunned 10-1 yet holds Russia to a virtual standstill – for THREE YEARS!
“Trump erroneously suggested that the U.S. had given $350 billion to Ukraine. It is closer to $183 billion, [much] of which ends up back in the U.S. to spend on restocking domestic weapon supplies.”

Trump insults his Ukrainian counterpart as “a modestly successful comedian.” Zelensky was a [wealthy] popular household name before entering politics, thanks to a hugely successful career in television,
US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz was asked who started the war? Not answered.

CEPA says that “Ukraine and Europe” must be included in any peace talks with Russia, that the U.S. should support “a European-led coalition of the willing” to enforce any “ceasefire line with an international force,” and that “European allies must make consistent and as rapid as possible progress toward Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.”

Trump favors Russia in exclusive talks, granting most all its demands. “…the United States on Monday failed to get the U.N. General Assembly to approve its resolution urging an end to the war without mentioning Moscow’s aggression. And the assembly approved a dueling European-backed Ukrainian resolution demanding Russia immediately withdraw from Ukraine.

In failing to mention Russia’s aggression America is behaving cowardly, to please Putin.
Disgusting.