Remember when former President Trump condemned President Vladimir Putin at Helsinki for Russia's documented attempts to interfere in the 2016 Presidential election? Well, of course you do not because that never happened. Instead, Trump found it convenient to accept a dictator's denial of complicity rather than the assessment of the US intelligence community that Russian operatives were busy trying to influence American opinion during the 2016 election cycle.

It is therefore refreshing to observe President Biden paying attention to the intelligence and calling out Putin every step of the way regarding his planned invasion of Ukraine. In the final analysis, all of Western Europe should hope that Putin will not act on his ill-conceived decision to wage war against a sovereign nation. If so, that will largely be due to Biden's effort to hold him accountable by announcing Putin's every move in real time. But if Putin foolishly chooses to commence a land war instead, then let Russia incur the crippling sanctions contemplated by the Biden administration to its already buckling economy. Either way, America can thank Biden for confronting a despot, standing up for democracy and not rolling over like his predecessor.

Jack Welch

Gales Ferry