Trump should negotiate peace in Ukraine

Re: “Ukraine will make Trump a winner or a loser” (Page A9, Jan. 12).

Trudy Rubin attempts to make the case for Donald Trump continuing Joe Biden’s failed Ukraine proxy war against Russia so he can be perceived a “winner.” She argues for the new Trump administration to continue Biden’s losing and unwinnable war against Russia in order to signal that America is still the sole world leader over Russia and China.

Rubin is ignoring the obvious reality that Ukraine is losing this war, a priority project of Biden’s since his days as Obama’s proconsul in Ukraine as vice president. The current dangerous situation of a deepening stand-off between the world’s two biggest nuclear-armed powers in the absence of any direct negotiations must not continue.

Hopefully, Trump will break with the failures of Biden’s “no negotiations” policy and engage with the Russians to find a negotiated end to this war.

— Michael Dunlap, Oakland

Republicans embrace anti-American expansion

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida was quoted as proudly telling Donald Trump that making Canada a state is a bad idea because Canada would just elect two Democratic senators, and that making it a territory might be better. Talk about missing the point.

Americans are proud because they revere freedom, having fought a revolution against the British to establish their right to self-determination. Now Trump would deny that same right to the Canadians? How could these two great patriots, Donalds and Trump, be so blithely discussing the anti-American idea of taking over other countries without regard to the wishes of their citizens?

But this is the Trump world, where up becomes down and convicted criminals somehow become the victims. It should be a great four years.

— Jay Chafetz, Walnut Creek

Trump’s no-penalty sentence stains nation

Re: “Trump gets no-penalty sentence in historic hush money case” (Page A1, Jan. 11).

Donald Trump’s sentence in the hush money case is a miscarriage of political justice. We have elected a felon to the highest office in the land. We told our children that someday you could be president. We voiced and encouraged a pathway of good deeds and righteousness.

Had the circumstances been different, this president-elect would have faced several trials and convictions.

As a young Boy Scout, I championed the oath of being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, etc. Today, I think it would be to lie and cheat, as listed 34 times on the final judgment.

Will America be great again? America was always great, but we just lost our way and are headed nowhere.

— Mark Grzan, Morgan Hill