Dearest Anastasia,

From reading your previous articles, I knew already that you are a gifted war journalist. But this article truly moved me! Not only that, but you are also, for one so young, a remarkably wise and deep thinker, with an extraordinary gift for moral clarity, historical perspective, and philosophical depth. And you are SO right on, in all you say!

I am over seventy; not quite old enough to remember Roosevelt, but old enough to remember, and share, my father's deep reverence for him. But if I were still young and fit, and Biden were to commit US troops to fight alongside your countrymen, I would enlist immediately--because you are absolutely right that this war is no less than primordial struggle between good and evil, between freedom and tyranny, and between a rule-based international order and savage brutality.

In such a war, there can be no compromise with evil. Russia must withdraw its troops, or be driven out and defeated. There are no other options.

My only worry is, of course, the ever-present shadow of nuclear annihiliation--a horror that obviously did not exist in 1942. We now face, in Putin, a Hitler with a huge arsenal of nukes. So despite the understandable frustration of your countrymen about the slow pace of weapon delivery, Biden has no choice but to take careful, measured steps in arming your courageous soldiers, however aggravating this delay must be to you and your countrymen. I trust him, however to do the right thing, in order to prevent Armageddon, if possible.

As Bob Marley wisely sang, "The truth is an offense, but not a sin." So please continue speaking the unvarnished truth about this ghastly invasion, even if it offends some people who lack your personal experience with these horrors, and also who lack your remarkable depth of insight.

Much love and blessings from an old man...