That misplaced sense of entitlement

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Donald Trump’s America has suggested that Ukraine give up its territory currently occupied by Russia’s military. I suggest that the former party relinquish territory it holds outside of the continental United States before it expects/asks Ukrainians to relinquish to Putin’s Russia a sizeable chunk of territory that actually belongs to Ukraine.

China has similarly suggested that Ukraine let go of the occupied territory as part of a permanent ceasefire settlement/deal with Russia. Perhaps China should give up on Taiwan, which is an independent nation, before it asks Ukrainians to sacrifice territory that actually belongs to them.

Nah, the US (and China) won’t be doing that. They even likely wouldn’t give up any territory if they were in Ukraine’s situation. That’s for suckers.

As for Russia, Vladimir Putin pathetically, and hypocritically, criticises then punishes Ukraine’s people when the latter’s military dares to strike back against Russia’s campaign of deliberate targeting and killing of civilians and destruction of infrastructure with barrages of missiles or drones. According to his own words, Putin is astonished and angry, as though the Ukrainians really have no moral right to self-defence

Of course, Putin will absurdly justify its first-strike attacks against Ukrainian civilians as a necessity of ‘de-Nazifying’ their democratically elected government. But he should first ‘de-Nazify’ Russia’s Kremlin – and especially his own presidency. Notably, the far-right AfD party of Germany supports, or at least sympathises with, Putin’s Russia, and vice versa. Or are they simply each other’s useful idiot?

It’s utterly naive to think that fascistic conduct is somehow less offensive if its perpetrator is not externally considered to be, or tagged by the West as, ‘neo Nazi’.

Nevertheless, it all reveals a great yet misplaced sense of entitlement held by Putin’s Russia. And China and definitely Trump’s America. They indeed are the high-school bully whose concept of his fair share is always three-quarters of the pie. Also worrisome for the little guy is when the bully is perfectly fine with, or even proud of, the fact.

FRANK STERLE JR

White Rock, BC

Canada