Proud of Biden

To the editor:

Unequivocally, I’m proud of President Biden for the actions he’s taken thus far and his ongoing commitment to diplomatic resolution in Ukraine. He’s handled the crisis skillfully — raising the alarm early, steadily aligning allies behind a smart diplomatic strategy (and, in doing so creating a strong anti-authoritarian global alliance), and staying focused on avoiding escalation while holding Russia accountable.

It’s not hard to imagine where we’d be if Trump were still president (remember: Trump was impeached for the first time because of a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky where he threatened to withhold military aid to the country if Zelensky didn’t do him a “favor” and find dirt on Biden’s son Hunter. And just last week, Trump called Putin a genius.)

The kind of leadership we’ve seen from Biden is the kind we need to see continue. Over the coming weeks, we all should be looking for the administration to do four things:

1. Pursue peace: Biden must continue his focus on diplomacy to encourage Russia to cease its offensive

2. Hold aggressors accountable: The United States and our allies must continue ongoing and escalating sanctions targeting Putin and his oligarchs

3. Provide humanitarian assistance and relief to those impacted, including protections for Ukrainians in the United States. As of now, the United States has announced that we’re sending nearly $54 million in humanitarian aid. But, our responsibility doesn’t end there: We echo the calls of 177 organizations demanding protection for Ukrainians in the U.S., as well as calls to support resettlement for those fleeing the country as refugees.

4. Make urgent investments in green energy: This isn’t a silver bullet, but it is an important step in fighting back against authoritarian regimes like Putin’s.

Holly Brewer

Bainbridge Island