Time for our leaders to step up

This letter was originally published by the Cape Coral Breeze on Aug 14, 2025

To the editor:

I’ve recently come back from Ukraine where I witnessed Russia’s destruction and strikes in the cities where I spent most of my time, in Kyiv and in the Odessa region. And now that I’m back, in light of the upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin, I have a few questions.

Why has not one Southwest Florida CD-19 Congressional candidate taken any position on Ukraine or Russia? More importantly, why is Trump letting land invader Putin come to Alaska to negotiate territories of Ukraine this week at USAF-US Army base, Base Elmendorf-Richardson?

Aside from the violation of international law and territorial integrity, and full blown genocide of Ukrainian AND Russian people, let’s quickly debrief a recent history on Putin’s false sense of entitlement to this American state….

In 2022 Russia disrespected U.S. national borders, threatening to take back Alaska from the US.

In 2024 Russia alongside China then proceeded to patrol America’s Alaskan island with nuclear warships, threatening our military power in the region.

Alaska borders Russia, just as Ukraine borders Russia…. If Trump is willing to negotiate Ukraine’s borders, what is next?

Putin, Trump, and all consenting American politicians should heavily reconsider allowing war criminal Vladimir Putin to step foot into the States. They should know, and the world should know, exactly how much America hates the Nazi Russian regime.

If more American politicians took actions against terrorists, imagine how much peace in the world there would be. 

The current Southwest Florida Congressional candidates who failed to denounce Russia the very week Putin came to the States are not serious about national security, democracy, nor the American public for that matter. All they care about is personal enrichment, popularity, attention, or whatever serves this seemingly malign interest to choke out the real American public who I’ve come to know, and who stands with me vehemently against the terrorist Russian state.

Where are the leaders who’ve got the backbone to stand up when it counts? Where are the leaders who will think for themselves instead of let their puppet master think for them?

I implore President Trump against making deals with terrorists…. what we need is force. And I implore him to refuse entry to war criminal Vladimir Putin to the US. Stay off our land. 

To read about my experiences in wartime Ukraine, please follow my new publication at kyivfreepress.com. I look forward to sharing more directly with my community in the near future.

Alexandra Zakhvatayev

Fort Myers