These last couple of weeks have not been good for the Ukrainian war effort, to say the least.
Besides the recent advances of Russian Federation forces in various points of the frontline, Kiev’s battle for the public narrative is also in bad shape.
In the aftermath of the failed offensive, and in the midst of the emergence of public clashes between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Commander in Chief Valery Zaluzhny, now the MSM has started re-assessing the situation in a massive way.
It has become very hard to track all the new articles informing the general public about the impending demise of the Ukrainian forces in the war.
I gathered here only two of said articles, but it is enough to glimpse at the veritable deluge of bad news coming from everywhere.
To begin with, the European Union decision next month to launch membership talks with Ukraine is “at risk”, and also, there is no agreement in the bloc to grant Kyiv a further 50 billion euros ($54 bln) in aid, a senior official said on Friday.
Reuters reported on the disclosures by a senior official:
“From regular reassurances that the EU would stand by Ukraine ‘as long as it takes’, the official said latest discussions in the bloc over further support to Kyiv were a ‘reality check’. ‘Leaders… were realizing it’s quite expensive’, said the official, who is involved in preparing a Dec.14-15 summit in Brussels of the EU 27 member states’ national leaders. ‘How do we pay for this?’”
A proposal by the European Commission to assign another 50 billion euros for Ukraine through 2027 was criticized from all sides, said the official.
“‘We cannot allow Ukraine to go bankrupt, it’s not an option for us. But it’s not easy’, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss talks between EU leaders held behind closed doors. The person further cast doubt on EU starting formal membership talks with Ukraine, saying expectations for a decision at the same summit next month were ‘at risk’.”
One reason for this situation is Hungary’s resistance, leaving the topic to be addressed in March, 2024.
“‘Maybe we have had too high expectations’, said the official. ‘Will we continue to support Ukraine financially, military? Do we have the means to do this? Are we sure that the U.S. will be following us over the coming years?’
‘It’s not that people have been calling for peace. Individual members have said very clearly that we at some point need an end to this. The consensus is to continue to provide support to Ukraine, but some of those questions are coming’.”
In a clear sign of how dire the situation is, Zelensky dispatched his No. 2 official to Washington for meetings at the White House and on Capitol Hill.
The Hill reported:
“’We know how to achieve victory’, Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said during a speech at the Hudson Institute earlier this week. ‘Meanwhile, we need weapons right now’.”
Yermakalso delivered rare, English-language remarks at a think tank in Washington, D.C..
But it’s unclear what success he can have, with the White House again warning that the U.S. ability to supply Kyiv has nearly run dry.
“’We are having to make tough decisions right now about the security assistance packages that we are providing to Ukraine, because we are coming near the end of the rope’, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said in a briefing with reporters Wednesday. ‘The runway is getting shorter and shorter for our ability to support Ukraine in the manner in which we have been, and that funding is drying up’.
[…] Yermak, in his speech, stressed that U.S.-provided equipment — from air defense to armored vehicles to artillery — is responsible for saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers that are fighting so others don’t have to get involved. ‘We [do] not ask, send your soldiers. We ask, continue to keep this support and we definitely, we obviously will win’, he said in his speech.”
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