Peter Mark is a historian, mountain climber, and former university professor who retired from teaching in Connecticut in 2018 — and moved to Europe to be closer to the history he has spent his life studying. Today he lives in Strasbourg, France, on the border between two countries that fought each other for centuries. And he supports Ukrainian frontline medics.

Peter’s reasons for supporting Leleka are three, and he states them with the precision of a scholar.

First: democracy. Ukraine, he believes, is not just fighting for itself — it is fighting for the model of free society that the rest of the world depends on. “You are fighting our fight,” he says simply. “We have an obligation to support you in any way we can.”

Second: Europe. Peter chose to live here for its cultures, its languages, its history. He hikes past Louis XIV’s earthworks and Hitler’s Siegfried Line in the same afternoon. That proximity to history, he says, is “a medication against arrogance.” And Ukraine’s sacrifice, he believes, is a sacrifice made on behalf of all of Europe.

Third: family. Four of Peter’s eight great-grandparents came from what is now Ukraine. His father’s side left from Lviv — then Lemberg, then part of Austria. His mother’s side left from outside Kyiv — then part of Russia. “They all left in the 1880s,” he says. “I feel I have a dog in this fight.” He has promised himself that when peace comes, he will visit Ukraine for the first time.

Peter found Leleka through the Kyiv Independent, which he reads every day for what he calls “the most detailed and reliable reporting on the war.” He cannot give $90 billion. But what he can give, he says, is an honor to give.

Leleka: Peter, tell us who you are.

Peter: My name is Peter Mark. I am a historian — specifically a historian of Africa and of early relations between Africans and Europeans. I retired from teaching at a university in Connecticut in 2018, partly to move to Europe and pursue two passions: writing and reading history, and mountain climbing. I live in Strasbourg now, which is ideally located for hiking — the Vosges to the west, the Black Forest and the Italian Tyrol within reach.

Leleka: How did you find out about Leleka Foundation?

Peter: I believe through a newspaper article — the Kyiv Independent, which I read every day. It has, in my view, the most detailed and reliable up-to-date reporting on the war. 

Leleka: Why did you decide to support us?

Peter: I have three reasons, and I want to be honest about all of them.

The first is democracy. Ukraine is fighting for its own freedom — nobody chooses to be attacked. But in doing so, you are also fighting for something much larger. Democracy is not easy. After 250 years, it has become too easy for people in my home country — the United States — to forget that democracy is as much an obligation as a right. That obligation starts with being informed. Ukraine understands this better than anyone. You are a model — not just for Europe, but for the world.

The second reason is that I live in Europe, and I chose to live here. For the cultures, the languages, the history. I hike outside my apartment on the French-German border and in the course of one walk I pass earthworks built under Louis XIV in 1708 and the remnants of Hitler’s Siegfried Line from 1945 — where 80 wounded German soldiers died in a single day in the final weeks of the war. Living with history like that makes you less arrogant. It reminds you that the people who came before us were not lesser than us. And it makes it impossible to look away from what is happening in Ukraine.

The third reason is personal. Four of my eight great-grandparents came from what is now Ukraine. My father’s paternal grandparents came from Lviv — then called Lemberg, then part of Austria. My mother’s maternal grandparents came from outside Kyiv — then part of Russia, and very eager to leave it. They all emigrated in the 1880s. I feel I have a personal stake in this. And I have made a promise to myself: when peace is restored, I will visit Ukraine for the first time.

Leleka: You mentioned feeling ashamed of the American response to the war.

Peter: I am ashamed and angry in equal measure. I am ashamed that American senators lack the courage to vote for meaningful sanctions. I am ashamed that my countrymen were not informed enough to understand what it meant to elect Donald Trump. And I am deeply ashamed that the President of the United States is openly aligned with a dictator who is waging a war of aggression against a democratic country. I cannot give $90 billion. But the little I can contribute — it is an honor to do so. Ukraine is fighting our fight. The least we can do is show up.

Leleka: Will you continue supporting Leleka?

Peter: For as long as you need it.