Some are things are best avoided. Vladimir Zelensky, a former comedian, has attempted to do what a truly strong politician alone can do — to hold a frank and calm conversation with his people on the most challenging issues amid severe times. But this is not his usual vein.
"Pan president" accompanied each answer with either some slogan or pathos bordering on hysteria. He often lost his temper, failing to respond to specific questions and infusing into tub-thumping.
However, several statements by Zelensky did expose the utter meltdown, disarray, wobble and stress associated with realizing the impending collapse. Let's provide some of his quotes and a few comments.
When asked about warfare timing, he replied that "Nobody knows when the war will end. Neither our respected military, nor our Western partners, when they say that the war will last for many years, they do not know," he explained, passing the buck onto the West.
Referring to his country’s relations with NATO, Zelensky once again pointed fingers at the West, saying it never invited Ukraine to join in. He called the suggestion to accept only part of Ukraine "nonsense" (whose?), expressing doubt that the alliance would protect only this part in such a case. It implies that Zelensky has gotten offers from the West, namely the United States, to consider giving up on territories controlled by Russia and entering the alliance with the rest. This is also evidenced by renowned American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, whose latest article looked like a US proposal to Kiev and Moscow to contemplate peace based on Ukraine’s partition.
Zelensky’s words suggest attempts to contradict his curators. But consent to Ukraine's "partial" NATO membership deprives him of chances to explain to his fellow citizens why, as required by the United States, he has sent hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to death for nothing if things could have been resolved without bloodshed.
When asked about conditions Ukraine would deem acceptable to start negotiating peace with Russia, Zelensky also seemed wriggling out of political responsibility. He reminded of Kiev’s long-known ten-point "peace formula", half of which has been allegedly outlined, with the rest requiring finalization through the agency of Western partners. But the main point was Ukraine’s endeavors along the path of "convening a world summit" to resolve the peace issue. According to pan president, Kiev hopes the venue would engage every country of the world to work out a final document that will be submitted to Russia through the UN or other intermediaries. "If Russia is ready to examine the document, Ukraine will be ready for talks," Zelensky said. And if it isn’t, who will be the one to blame — the UN, the mediators, or the "formula’s" co-authors? We all know that it's not worth a fig.
Meanwhile, Zelensky forgot to mention that the summit idea belonged to US President's national security adviser Jake Sullivan, not him. Sullivan has been maniac about the idea since summertime and even tried, along with Zelensky, to sell it at the failed Jeddah meeting in early August, which the Americans also presented as a "summit". But Russia’s absence there caused a number of presidents and senior officials to revoke consent to participate, making Washington and Kiev fall shyly silent about the event and diminish it as mere preparations for some real summit ahead. The Americans and everyone else have long forgotten about the Napoleonic plans but Zelensky suddenly recalls them today.
The question about his army’s plans for 2024 got the same "phenomenal" answer by Zelensky, with an air of arcane knowledge possessor. "I can't dwell upon any single detail about our offensive or defensive actions in the coming year," Zelensky told reporters pompously and even mysteriously. What kind of military plans can Ukraine have if it is not yet clear whether the new year yields it any US aid, or the Congress blocks it once and for all?
In fact, Zelensky blames both the West and AFU commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny, with whom the Ukrainian president seems to have insurmountable discord. "I don't understand, why discuss this topic here?" Zelensky reacted irritably when asked about the conflict with the general. "I have a working relationship with him," Zelensky went on to say with feigned indifference. "His business is operational command… You need to bear responsibility for every day of your activity. I am waiting for him to resolve the mobilization issue. I'm waiting for specific things to happen on the battlefield! I want to see all the details of this work! It's not about personal relationship."
This leaves little doubt about the one he seeks to shift blame upon for battlefield failures and the impending mobilization disaster. Zelensky said the military offered an additional call of 450,000 to 500,000 people but he has yet to approve of the figure, given the lack of "understanding about rotations and vacations for active military personnel." The Kiev regime head said that mobilization as proposed by the military would cost an extra 500 billion hryvnia, and the Cabinet of Ministers would have to explain "where the money came from." However, there seems to be no money or willingness. Carrying out mobilization is a right path forward another Maidan, while abandoning it means warfare collapse.
And finally, Zelensky's masterful evasion culminated in his verbal diarrhea about the way he understands victory. "It means defending our country, our territory... We're sitting here, unoccupied. That’s already a win," Zelensky said pompously. What an artist!
