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Zelensky’s Powerful Plea to Congress

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  • #StopAsianHate Is More Than a Hashtag. It’s an Imperative.
  • Seeking to Spring Forward Forever

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address was a remarkably direct appeal from a wartime leader under siege.Credit…Sarahbeth Maney/The New York Times

To the Editor:

Re “Zelensky Presses Congress to Help as Russia Pounds Cities” (front page, March 17):

On Wednesday morning, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine delivered a video address to the U.S. Congress. His speech, while not Churchillian in its eloquence, was as powerful and evocative as any speech to Congress in recent years.

President Zelensky spoke passionately and from the heart. His presentation was all the more effective and visceral because of his masterful integration of a short graphic video. The video interspersed images of a beautiful Ukraine with devastating scenes of death and destruction brought about by Russia’s unrelenting aerial and artillery bombardment.

Mr. Zelensky has evolved into an international symbol of hope, standing defiantly against an overwhelming military might that threatens Ukraine’s very existence as a free country. President Biden has helped to coalesce a world community in support of Ukraine. We must now do more.

This is not just a battle between democracy and autocracy; it’s also a battle between right and wrong and good versus evil. Let us hope that right and good prevail.

Ken Derow
Swarthmore, Pa.

To the Editor:

Our lack of meaningful action in Ukraine is costing more lives by the day. We need to set up a no-fly zone immediately and provide Ukraine with a guarantee of territorial security using whatever means necessary.

If we fail to stop Vladimir Putin now, he will only become more deadly. History will judge us by the actions we take in the next few days. If we fail to rise to the occasion, we will lose our place as the leader of the free world, and democracy around the world will be imperiled.

I sincerely hope that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s eloquent appeal to Congress goads our elected leaders into action.

Andrew E. Werchniak
Hampton, N.H.

To the Editor:

In the face of the monstrous evil that the terrorist Vladimir Putin is inflicting on Ukraine, not doing everything to stop him (yes, including a no-fly zone) is the moral equivalent of doing nothing.

Lisa Sapinkopf
Emeryville, Calif.
The writer has collaborated with the Ukrainian author Oksana Zabuzhko on translations of her poetry.

To the Editor:

It is clear to me that a no-fly zone, enforced by an international peacekeeping force, must be established for an area around all nuclear power plants in Ukraine. A nuclear power plant accident endangers all of Europe, if not the world, and plants in a war zone must be protected.

Martin Rothenberg
Deerfield Beach, Fla.
The writer is emeritus professor of electrical and computer engineering at Syracuse University.

To the Editor:

Re “After a Battering, Ukraine Seeks Momentum” (front page, March 17):

I was heartened to read that the International Court of Justice has ordered Russia to suspend its military operations in Ukraine immediately. But “Russia” as the agent of this war is an abstract concept, and even Vladimir Putin, its instigator, is not actually firing the weapons.

The people who are firing are soldiers and pilots, under the direction of military officers. Wouldn’t it also be a good idea for the court to directly address all Russian soldiers, pilots and officers in Ukraine, ordering them to put down their weapons immediately, because the directives they are following are criminal?

It seems to me that such an order should be widely broadcast daily, not only by the International Court of Justice, but also by political and religious leaders worldwide.

Vicki Riba Koestler
Alexandria, Va.

#StopAsianHate Is More Than a Hashtag. It’s an Imperative.

 Credit…Kim Ryu

To the Editor:

Re “I’m Done Being Your Model Minority,” by Patricia Park (Opinion guest essay, Sunday Review, March 13):

Unfortunately, Ms. Park speaks for so many of us in the Asian American community when she writes: “Every Asian in America can recall incidents of verbal taunting or stereotyping. … I’m tired of how Asians in this country are treated. … I’m tired of feeling terrified.”

Since the publication of her essay, an elderly woman was violently assaulted in Yonkers, N.Y. The video of her brutal attack re-traumatizes the Asian American community and adds to our collective anxiety and fear, as we mark the first anniversary on March 16 of the senseless killings in Atlanta of Asian women who worked in spas there.

Our community may be tired, and we may be distressed, but we are also determined and resilient. #StopAsianHate is not just a hashtag; it’s an imperative.

Elevating and amplifying the voices of Asian Americans, like that of Ms. Park, is one way of making our strength and our diversity more visible. Other media outlets, from news to entertainment, should do the same.

Angela H. Cheng
Brooklyn

Seeking to Spring Forward Forever

The Ohio Clock near the Senate chamber. The ritual of changing the clocks twice a year has been a feature of American life since at least 1918.Credit…Michael A. McCoy for the New York Times

To the Editor:

Re “Senate Unanimously Votes to Keep Nation’s Clocks Sprung Forward Permanently” (news article, March 16):

I have been bugging my government representatives for years to make daylight saving time permanent.

It makes so much sense! We can’t change our long, cold winters, but they will be more tolerable when we are not enshrouded in darkness at 4:30 p.m. Driving and walking will be safer; more people will be out shopping, and spirits will be higher.

So it is with great joy that I thank Senator Marco Rubio (with whom I have never otherwise agreed) for actually moving the bill to pass by unanimous consent. It costs nothing to implement and will be a great boon to most of the people in this country.

However, one caveat: Why can’t it start this year? I’m an old lady, and I want to enjoy it now! Give us older folks a break (or prevent one), and adopt D.S.T. ASAP!

Carol Kraines
Deerfield, Ill.

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