Opinion: 'For the sake of humanity, let’s end this.' US must stop Russia's maniacal leader

William DiMascio is a former Associated Press Bureau chief for the state of Ohio, executive editor of the Cleveland Press and communications consultant. Now retired, he lives in Upper Arlington.

I feel a deep and unshakable moral commitment to the values expressed in America’s foundational documents: first, to the Declaration of Independence; second, to the Bill of Rights; and third, to the Constitution.

The principles asserted in these treatises define a compelling humanitarian philosophy, one that is the preference of men and women the world over. They constitute a manifesto for life in a growing and evolving world.

Our U.S. democracy has been tested in numerous challenges over the last two-plus centuries and succeeded while monarchies crumbled, fascists faded, and communists fell flat.

The merit in our governance was planted in my early years in school learning the Pledge of Allegiance, as a Boy Scout studying the Oath, as an altar boy memorizing Latin prayers, during the swearing-in in the Army.

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That all sounded fine and easy, but life, I learned, was confounding. In the great river of time, human convictions are less than bit players; the currents take us in unimaginable directions.

Currently, we have a maniacal Russian leader whose less than impressive military has been a world-class embarrassment.

So now Vladimir Putin turns his desperation toward committing war crimes against civilians in a reign of terror, shelling apartment buildings, hospitals, schools, and churches. He is looking for a way out but cannot admit it.

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The stakes are very high in this war in Ukraine, and not just for the Ukrainian people.World order is challenged. Should a bigger country be permitted to take over all or part of a neighboring nation? Who is to stop this sort of illegal action?

In my view, the time has come for a leader with world class credentials to step up – that means, the U.S. We cannot stand by while innocents are being butchered.

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Our options include We should do what we must to broker negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. A settlement must include restoration of all lands, including Crimea, to Ukraine, and at the same time provides a security agreement against a NATO invasion of Russia.

If these negotiations fail, the U.S. should get nose to nose with Putin and tell him to get his troops out of Ukraine. There should be no ambiguity. This would not be a request.

More:Opinion: We must give Russia multiple reasons to 'think twice' before attacking Ukraine

This would be a clear declaration that we would not stand by and watch the world order crumble in the face of a terroristic takeover of a sovereign nation. Putin would have 24 hours to begin to withdraw, or we would with conventional forces only destroy his navy and eliminate the remains of his ragtag army and air forces.

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Of course, there is the popular option of doing nothing (as the world did when Hitler began WW2), of waiting until we are forced into a far more dangerous confrontation.

Right now, I am glad we have an old man with a fully functioning moral compass as president. We used to think wisdom came with age; we forgot about that, however, in our infatuation with youth. But it takes time and experience to balance the pros and cons of complex situations, to think strategically instead of transactionally.

We have the tools and the strength to force this conflict to an end. The question is whether we have the will to do it, and whether the Russian people have the will to continue losing their soldiers and their souls.

Frankly, I do not believe the Russians are eager to engage in a nuclear confrontation or so desperate for whatever there might be to gain by taking over Ukraine.

So, this is what it’s like for an aging idealist. The years may have diminished my eyesight, yet strangely sharpened my vision. We have reached a point where it is time to act – with conviction!

For the sake of humanity, let’s end this.

More:Professor: We made Putin's war with Ukraine 'inevitable'

William DiMascio is a former AP Bureau chief for the state of Ohio, executive editor of the Cleveland Press and communications consultant. Now retired, he lives in Upper Arlington.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: William DiMascio: US must force Vladimir Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine