The Shadow of War is what the new Europe Debuts in
Zelensky, Putin and the European Political Community: a bold strategic gamble aimed at promoting peace and stability in the 21st century
The European Political Community, which he first mentioned in May during the French presidency of the European Union, is a response to these concerns. It is an idea typical of Mr. Emanuel: a bold and disruptive strategic gamble intended to stir new thinking, even though the end result and even its practicability are uncertain.
Larger than the 27-nation European Union, the new body includes countries like Ukraine and Moldova that are impatient with the long process of securing E.U. membership. A mild provocation to the United States, which was not invited, and a larger one to Russia, which sees any Western turn by countries on its border as incendiary, the association aims to give a voice to a broader Europe.
Earlier, Macron told Zelensky that France is “determined” to assist Ukraine in its war against Russia. “We are steadfast in our support ofUkraine, determined to help it to victory,” he said. Russia should not win the war and so should France and its allies.
Bociurkiw is a global affairs analyst currently based in Odesa. He is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He contributes to CNN Opinion. The opinions are of his own. View more opinion at CNN.
It is difficult to calculate how much the carefully managed stagecraft of the president’s inner circle has contributed to Zelensky’s popular image both inside and outside Ukraine – but it certainly can’t hurt.
In Paris at the time, I witnessed how Zelensky pulled up to the Élysée Palace in a modest Renault, while Putin motored in with an ostentatious armored limousine. The French President hugged Putin, but only shook hands with Zelensky.
Zelensky is a brand that is more than just the man. These days, it is almost impossible for a person to not know the Ukrainian leader is wearing t-shirts.
Zelensky: he needed ammunition, not a ride – his legacy of the Lviv nightclub in the midst of World War II
Failure to demonstrate progress on the battlefield with billions of dollars worth of military kit would be seen as a problem by Western backers. capitulation to Russia would be a political death sentence.
Zelensky grew up in the rough and tumble areas of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukranian where he learned how to respond to people who did not like him.
After being bullied by Putin, he knew exactly what he had to do, according to Yevhen Hlibovytsky, a former political journalist.
The leader, who when offered the US’s assistance in removing him from Russia as it launched its invasion, joked: “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
It all seems a long, long way back since the euphoria of the campaign launch in a nightclub where Zelensky thanked his supporters for a big victory. Standing on stage among the fluttering confetti, he looked in a state of disbelief at having defeated incumbent veteran politician Petro Poroshenko.
The war appears to have turned his ratings around. Just days after the invasion, Zelensky’s ratings approval surged to 90%, and remain high to this day. Zelensky was seen as the leader of international affairs by Americans early in the war, ahead of US President Joe Biden.
He has a bunch of people from his previous career, which was as a TV comedian. A press conference held on the platform of a metro station in April featured perfect lighting and camera angles to emphasize a wartime setting, even in the midst of the war.
As for his skills as comforter in chief, I remember well the solace his nightly televised addresses brought in the midst of air raid sirens and explosions in Lviv.
The Road Towards a Truncated World: Fashion, Style, and Smarts for the Viable Zelensky-White-Hole Fashion Show
“By wearing T-shirts and hoodies, the youthful, egalitarian uniform of Silicon Valley, rather than suits, Zelensky is projecting confidence and competence in a modern way, to a younger, global audience that recognizes it as such,” Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, a fashion historian and author of “Red, White, and Blue on the Runway: The 1968 White House Fashion Show and the Politics of American Style,” told NPR.
Journeying to where her husband can’t, Zelenska has shown herself to be an effective communicator in international fora – projecting empathy, style and smarts. She met with King Charles at the refugee assistance center at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in London. Zelenska wasn’t on the cover by TIME magazine, but there was a reference to her in the supporting text.
Among the Western nations that have rallied in support behind Zelensky, there have been lingering concerns about what Zelensky’s long-term plan might be.
As the war nears its one-year anniversary, however, international support for Ukraine is being tested. Increased energy prices in Europe are due to the sanctions on Moscow. Republicans in the US house of representatives who are expected to take control of the house are not going to approve a lot of new assistance for Ukraine.
Zelensky made a case for Russia’s defeat in his speech. “We know Russia will lose. We know victory will change the world, and this will be a change the world needed. The UK is going to support us in our greatest victory to date. The victory over the very idea of war.”
The Russian embassy in London described the trip as a “hasty event,” “theatrical performance,” and a “fundraising event,” mocking Zelensky as an “ex-comedian in a green sweatshirt,” in a statement to CNN.
Zelensky said in a recent nightly video address that no matter what the aggressor intends to do, it is the world that determines how events develop.
Zelensky traveled to Belgium a day after he visited London and Paris as part of an effort to convince the West to send more arms to counter a Russian spring offensive.
The Ukrainian President spent Wednesday in Washington, DC, on his first trip out of his country since the Russian invasion. He was grateful for the multi-billion dollar weapons and ammunition aid, but also made clear he would never quit asking for more.
It was important for Putin to see that Zelensky and I are united, two countries together, to make sure he cannot succeed, said Biden at the White House during their joint news conference.
The US set to work executing those parameters after Zelensky decided those were the ones he wanted to visit. The trip was confirmed on Sunday.
The U.S. Air Defense Forces and the War on Crime: a First Visit to the USA After the Russian Invasion of Pearl Harbor
Patriot air defense systems could intercept a large number of Russia’s missiles and attack drones – although Ukraine already claims a high success rate; on Monday, for example, it said 30 out of 35 missiles had been stopped. NATO’s best technology is on the table to help Ukrainians win the war, or at least hold Russia back.
Smaller air defense systems require fewer people to operate, so they need much larger crews to properly operate the missiles. The United States will have to train the batteries for their missiles under the current pressure caused by daily aerial attacks from Russia.
The official said US troops will teach the Ukrainians how to use the system. The US Army base in Germany would be the site of the training, according to CNN.
The system is widely considered one of the most capable long-range weapons to defend airspace against incoming ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as some aircraft. Because of its long-range and high-altitude capability, it can potentially shoot down Russian missiles and aircraft far from their intended targets inside Ukraine.
“The President has been very clear that we are going to lean forward and be robust in our support for Ukraine on the military, economic, energy and humanitarian fronts, but we are not seeking to engage in a direct war with Russia. The official said that nothing would change tomorrow.
That his first trip outside Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February is to the United States will also highlight President Joe Biden’s historic role in reviving the Western alliance that kept the Soviet Union at bay and is now countering new expansionism by Moscow in an effective proxy war between nuclear superpowers.
Zelensky’s arrival will draw poignant echoes of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s arrival in Washington, 81 years ago on Thursday, days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The Christmas visit solidified the alliance that would win World War II.
His visit is unfolding amid extraordinary security. Nancy Pelosi wouldn’t confirm the early reports that she would welcome Zelensky to the US Capitol, saying that they didn’t know yet. We don’t know.
The Decision on Patriotism in the Era of the Second World War II: A Memorino of U.S. Navy Action in Ukraine
The US process of matching aid to the shifting strategy of Russia’s assault on the Ukrainians is reflected in the decision on patrisy. Russia has launched a number of missile attacks on cities and electricity installations in Ukrainian territory, as well as trying to break the will of the citizens of the country, through the use of bitter winter weather.
The important moment in this war is when the destiny of the war will be decided before Russia can regroup, said former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, Wesley Clark.
In Washington, Republicans poised to take control of Congress have made clear they won’t rubber stamp each of Biden’s requests for Ukraine assistance – though fears funding will dry up completely appear unfounded. Congress is on the verge of approving almost $50 billion in additional security and economic assistance.
McCarthy said he supported Ukraine but never supported a blank check. “We want to make sure there’s accountability for every money that we spent.”
In March, for instance, Zelensky evoked Mount Rushmore and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream Speech” during a virtual address to Congress. He also referred to two days of infamy in modern history when Americans directly experienced the fear of aerial bombardment.
It was terrible the morning of December 7, 1941, when the sky was black from the planes attacking you. Zelensky said to just remember it. “Remember September 11, a terrible day in 2001 when evil tried to turn your cities, independent territories, into battlefields. When innocent people were attacked from air, you couldn’t stop it. Our country is the same every day.
Zelensky versus the US during WW II: a message from the Biden administration on the future of the United Kingdom and the challenges of its fight for Ukraine
In the middle of winter, the British leader sailed to the US aboard the Queen Victoria and was met by President Franklin Roosevelt in Washington, DC, the day before their joint press conference.
Over days of brainstorming and meetings – fueled by Churchill’s regime of sherry with breakfast, Scotch and sodas for lunch, champagne in the evening and a tipple of 90-year-old brandy before bed – the two leaders plotted the defeat of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan and laid the foundation of the Western alliance that Biden has reinvigorated in his support for Ukraine.
During his visit to the US, where he had pined for US involvement in World War II for months, he said that he did not feel much closer to his family or country.
He told lawmakers that London has been with Kyiv since the beginning. “Since the first seconds and minutes of the full-scale war. Great Britain, you were there when the world hadn’t yet grasped how to react.
“We need artillery guns, ammunitions, modern tanks, the long-range missiles and modern fighter jets,” Zelensky said. He added that we have to act faster than the other side.
More precision weapons are vital: they ensure Ukraine hits its targets, and not any civilians remaining nearby. It meansUkraine doesn’t go through the large number of Russian shells it burns through as it bombards areas it wants to capture.
But Moscow is struggling to equip and rally its conventional forces, and, with the exception of its nuclear forces, appears to be running out of new cards to play. China and India have joined the West in open statements against the use of nuclear force, which has made that option even less likely.
Russia has complained about these deliveries often but has been relatively subdued in its reaction to what might have been considered a red line.
Yes. There is an enormous $45 billion aid package in the works, and while not all military, it is part of a consistent drumbeat from the Biden administration. The message is simple: Ukraine is receiving as much aid as Washington can provide, short of boots on the ground, and that aid will not stop.
Whatever the eventual truth of the matter – and military aid is opaque at the best of times – Biden wants Putin to hear nothing but headline figures in the billions, to sap Russian resolve, push European partners to help more, and make Ukraine’s resources seem limitless.
The remnants of the Trumpist “America First” elements of that party have echoed doubts about how much aid the US should really be sending to the edges of eastern Europe.
Realistically, the bill for the slow defeat of Russia in this dark and lengthy conflict is relatively light for Washington, given its near trillion-dollar annual defense budget.
Zelensky’s legacy of Ukrainian wartime heroism, and what we all want to see from a reality TV star
As a former reality TV star turned president, his embodiment of how Putin has turned ordinary Ukrainians into wartime heroes is inspiring.
He concluded, “May the New Year bring all this. We are ready to fight for it. That’s why each of us is here. I’m here. We are here. You are here. Everyone is here. We are all from the same country.
She said Zelensky’s historic address “strengthened both Democrats and Republicans who understand what is at stake in this fight against Putin and Russian aggression and now with their ally, Iran, as well.”
“Ukrainians surprise,” he said. Ukrainians are given a standing applause. Ukrainians inspire. Is there anything that can scare us? No. Is there anyone who can stop us? No. Because we are all together. It is what we are fighting for. One for the two of them.
“I think you can see from the steps that we are taking that we are willing to put Ukraine in the position where, once we have reached the goals of training pilots, they are able to fly these type of jets,” said the PM’s spokesman. “What we have not made a decision on is whether we send UK fighter jets. Obviously there is an ongoing discussion among other countries about their own fighter jets, some of which are more akin to what Ukrainian pilots are used to.”
Hillary Clinton, who once met the leader of Russia as secretary of state, thinks he is probably unable to Predict, as the war in Russia and Ukraine goes on and his popularity fades.
The War to End: A Brief History of the American Revolutionary War to the Battle of Bulge During Zelensky’s Visit to Ukraine
The visit was shrouded in secrecy until the last minute, and it featured a lot of symbolism, from Zelensky’s green sweatshirt to the Ukrainian battle flag on the House floor.
Yet as Zelensky departed Washington for a lengthy and similarly risky return trip to Ukraine, it wasn’t clear that a pathway to ending the conflict was any clearer.
Yet the new phase isn’t only on the battlefield. The leaders of the world are trying to come to grips with the consequences of Russia’s invasion. Tough sanctions on Moscow have caused trouble in Europe and the United States, as a result of higher energy and food prices.
On Wednesday, Zelensky used rhetoric that suggested the road to ending the war would not involve concessions to Russia.
“For me as a president, ‘just peace’ is no compromises,” he said, indicating he doesn’t see any road to peace that involves Ukraine giving up territory or sovereignty.
US officials said after Zelensky gave his address that he had presented a 10- point peace formula to Biden, the same one he gave to world leaders at the Group of 20 summit.
For his part, Biden said it was up to Zelensky to “decide how he wants to the war to end,” a long-held view that leaves plenty of questions unanswered.
Zelensky references American history in his address, starting with the critical Battle of Saratoga during the American Revolutionary War to the Battle of Bulge in World War II.
He delivered his address in English, a purposeful choice he telegraphed ahead of the speech. Even his attire – the now-familiar Army green shirt, cargo pants and boots – seemed designed to remind his audience they were in the presence of a wartime leader.
Zelensky, the White House and the Cold War: A Memorandum to the American President and Legacy of the First World War
Over the course of the conflict, Zelensky has demonstrated an acute ability to appeal to his audience, be they national legislatures or the audience of the Grammys.
He invoked dark winter nights as he sought to evoke Americans’ emotional response to his country’s suffering.
We will celebrate Christmas in two days. Maybe a bit too dark. He said that there will not be electricity because it will not be romantic.
He knew that many Americans were wondering why billions of US dollars were needed for a conflict thousands of miles away. He wanted to make the cause bigger than what he was in his homeland.
Yet it doesn’t take much to see tensions just beneath the surface. Zelensky has always been agitated for additional US support despite Biden directing tens of billions of dollars in military assistance to his country.
On the surface, Biden and Zelensky have maintained a stalwart partnership. Zelensky gushed over Biden as he went from the Oval Office to the East Room.
That hasn’t always sat well with Biden or his team. As has been the case with many foreign leaders, Biden seemed intent on improving his understanding of his counterpart.
“It is all about looking someone in the eye. I mean it sincerely. He said that sitting face to face with a friend or foe and looking them in the eye is the best thing to do.
A Hero’s Welcome at the House of Representatives: The Case of Bakhmut-Pelosi to the End of the Cold War
This story was adapted from the December 22 edition of CNN’s Meanwhile in America, the daily email about US politics for global readers. Click here to subscribe and read past editions.
The comic actor-turned-wartime hero’s decision to put fate of millions of Ukrainians in the hands of American legislators, taxpayers and families at a time of growing doubt about the cost of US involvement is an example of what’s going on.
He handed over a simple Ukrainian flag signed by troops from the besieged area of Bakhmut to Pelosi, asking lawmakers to think of it and support Ukraine. He carried the flag out of the chamber after he was handed it by her.
He said that the heroes asked him to bring the flag to the congress, so that they could save millions of people.
There was a point of contention during the ceremony. While Ukraine is desperate for weapons to take the fight harder to Russia, his country’s fate is not the only thing that Biden must consider.
Zelensky said a deep thanks for the tens of billions of dollars in weapons and aid given by Americans. Implicitly, he argued they couldn’t abandon this gritty, independence hero without also suppressing something of their own patriotic national identify.
— To the incoming House Republican majority, some of whose members want to halt aid, the Ukrainian leader’s hero’s welcome in the chamber suggested they would be shamed if they choose to forsake him.
Zelensky isn’t going to give up on Russian-Russian aggression: A warning from the White House urging the US to act more aggressively
But at the same time, it’s clear to Zelensky, and also to Biden, that this is the time to re-engage the US public as Russia’s war drags toward its one-year marker with no indication there is an end to fighting on the way.
“What’s going to happen after Patriots are installed? After that, we will send another signal to President Biden that we would like to get more Patriots,” Zelensky said during a White House news conference. He thanked Congress in his address. We have it. Is it enough? Honestly, not really.” Both times, he was joking but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t deadly serious. Zelensky pleaded with Washington to send more offensive weapons in order to win.
The president has restricted the amount of weaponry he sends into the battle, balancing the need to defend a European democracy with the desire not totrigger a disastrous clash with Russia, and also to avoid crossing invisible red lines that are only known to Putin.
Why don’t we just give all the help to Ukrainians? Biden said at the White House that a large force into Ukraine risked spurring a breakdown of the international consensus needed to support the war.
However, given partisan fury that will erupt in a divided Washington next year, there is no guarantee that America’s lawmakers will even be able to fund their own government – let alone one fighting for its survival thousands of miles away.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/22/world/volodymyr-zelensky-grit-defiance/index.html
The Battle of the Bulge: How Vladimir Zelensky Reined the US to the House of Representatives on Wednesday during the Christmas Break
Several Republicans who have reservations about aid to Ukraine did not applaud at Zelensky being introduced.
After going to the bloody front lines in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky went onto the US House floor in green military clothing to shore up his supply line.
On the dais where heads of state usually sport suits, Zelensky embraced the look of a warrior as he used confident English to claim “joint victory” in what he said was the defeat of Russia in the “battle for minds of the world.”
Although he did not mention the elephant in the room, the speech was a clear plea to Republican lawmakers, who will control the House in January, to stay with Ukraine.
Congress had been planning to vote this week on a year-long spending bill that includes $45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine and NATO allies.
Wednesday was perhaps the last possible day Zelensky could have addressed a joint meeting of Congress before Republicans, some of whom are slowly growing tired with the largesse of America’s support for his country, take control of the House next month. More than $21 billion in defense assistance has been provided by the US. That includes $1.8 billion in a new weapons deal announced when Zelensky met President Joe Biden at the White House earlier Wednesday.
He returned to US military history Wednesday, referring to the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, when US troops were surrounded in the snow after gaining a foothold in Europe on D-Day.
“Just like the brave American soldiers, which held their lines and fought back Hitler’s forces during the Christmas of 1944, brave Ukrainian soldiers are doing this same to Putin’s forces this Christmas,” Zelensky said.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/22/politics/zelensky-speech-house-republicans-analysis/index.html
What did the American people tell us about Ukraine, or what did they tell Putin about? A televised interview with Kearns
He mentioned that the American people would do the fighting for them, and they would finish the job. Speaking to CNN’s Anderson Cooper Wednesday evening, Kearns quipped, “That’s what the man said.”
Foreign presidents around the world can use an address to Congress as a platform for their speeches. It’s in contrast to Vladimir Putin, who canceled his annual year-end press conference.
He said this was the year when Ukraine changed the world and the world discovered it. They were told to surrender. We chose a counterattack! We were told to make concessions and compromises. We are joining the European Union and NATO.”
Zelensky supports the idea of a peace summit this winter. The idea of Russia retreating out of areas it invaded since February has been floated by the US Secretary of State. Zelensky has argued Russia should retreat even out of territory it claimed in 2014. Putin has not suggested he would retreat at all.
The U.S. should not play a pawn in a war between the West and Russia: An analysis by McCarthy and Petraeus
Petraeus added it was substantive because of the new money pledged to Ukraine both at the White House and in a larger $1.7 trillion spending bill lawmakers need to pass before Friday.
Kevin McCarthy, the House GOP leader who wants to be Speaker, met with Zelensky and the other congressional leaders to try to convince Republicans to vote for him next month.
A majority of Americans remain behind supporting Ukraine and keeping sanctions on Russia, according to recent polling, but in a December survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the share of Americans who believe the US should support Ukraine for “as long as it takes” dropped 10 percentage points since the summer to about half. Just a third of Republicans supported indefinite support in the survey.
The only Ukrainian-born member of Congress doubts the aid to Ukraine and concerns about corruption in the Zelensky administration.
This is not the first time Russia has accused Western nations of turning the conflict into a proxy war by supplying Ukraine with weapons. Iran has acknowledged in the past that it provided drones to Russia.
The Russian public is largely buying that line, which the Kremlin has been selling, according to a Russian history professor.
“Although they are weary of the conflict, the majority of Russians still see the conflict as a fight between Russia and the West in which Ukraine is being played for a pawn,” he says.
Dismissing accusations of a proxy war, Sloat says Zelenskyy and Ukraine have made clear that they want a “just peace,” and all the U.S. has been doing is help the country defend itself against Russian aggression.
Moscow had warned last week that it would see the reported delivery of Patriot missiles to Ukraine as “another provocative move by the U.S.” Does Sloat worry this could provoke a Russian escalation?
Ukranian Foreign Minister of Ukraine and the UN as a possible mediator around the anniversary of Russia’s war: The role of Guterres’ role
The foreign minister of Ukranian said his government is going to hold a peace summit at the United Nations in February, with Secretary-General Antnio de Freitas as a possible mediator around the anniversary of Russia’s war.
He said Moscow would need to be tried by an international court for war crimes before they would invite them to the summit.
Kuleba stated that he was very satisfied with the results of President Zelenskyy’s visit to the U.S. last week. The training can take up to a year.
Kuleba said during the interview at the Foreign Ministry that Ukraine will do whatever it can to win the war in 2023, adding that diplomacy always plays an important role.
The UN is the best place for the summit since this isn’t about favouring a certain country, he said. “This is really about bringing everyone on board.”
About Guterres’ role, Kuleba said: “He has proven himself to be an efficient mediator and an efficient negotiator, and most importantly, as a man of principle and integrity. So we would welcome his active participation.”
“They claim that they are ready for negotiations, which is incorrect because they do not do anything on the battlefield,” he said.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/12/26/1145539638/ukraine-russia-peace-summit-foreign-minister
Vladimir Kuleba – U.S. Repulsive Ambassador to the Middle East during the First Ukrainian-US War with the United States
Kuleba, who was part of the delegation to the U.S. said that this shows how important the US is to both Ukraine and the US.
He said that the U.S. government developed a program for the missile battery to complete the training faster than usual “without any damage to the quality of the use of this weapon on the battlefield.”
Kuleba said it would be “very much less than six months.” He said that the training will be done outside of Ukraine.
During Russia’s ground and air war in Ukraine, Kuleba has been second only to Zelenskyy in carrying Ukraine’s message and needs to an international audience, whether through Twitter posts or meetings with friendly foreign officials.
On Monday, Ukraine called on U.N. member states to deprive Russia of its status as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and to exclude it from the world body. Kuleba said they plan to uncover the fraud and deprive Russia of its status.
The Foreign Ministry says that Russian never went through the legal procedure for acquiring membership and taking the place of the USSR at the U.N. Security Council after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Volodymyr Zelensky recalled a year that began with fear over Russia’s invasion but ended with hope for victory in his New Year’s address.
The Ukrainian flag rippling in the breeze behind Mr. Zelensky was one of the many notable moments from the war.
“This year has struck our hearts,” he said, according to a translated transcript posted on his official website. Everyone has cried out all the tears. All the prayers have been yelled. 311 days is a long time. We have something to say about every minute.”
Ukraine “didn’t lose anything”: Russian jihadists and UAVs – a cry for a new era
Mr. Zelensky said that Ukrainians working, attending schools or just learning to walk are participating in the defense of their country. He did not think that it was right to call it a year of losses.
“We haven’t lost anything,” Mr. Zelensky said. “It was taken from us. Ukraine did not lose its sons and daughters — they were taken away by murderers. The homes of Ukrainians were destroyed by terrorists. invaders occupied our lands, but we didn’t lose our lands. The world did not lose peace — Russia destroyed it.”
Mr. Zelensky said that the world has come to the aid of Ukraine from foreign capitals to the top of the search results.
Top Ukrainian officials have in recent days escalated their public lobbying campaign for US-made F-16 fighter jets, arguing they need them urgently to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks.
US and allied officials have doubts about the practicability of the jets, because they require a lot of training and Russia has a lot of anti-aircraft weapons that could shoot them down.
Rutte told reporters that sending the planes would be a big step if it came to that. And Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki indicated on Monday that Warsaw would only send its fighter jets “in full coordination” with its NATO partners.
The US Navy is preparing to send fighter jets to Ukraine, and the United Kingdom will refuse to send them, even though they have a battle tank
“One year ago everyone rejected HIMARS and no one could imagine Abrams tanks,” the official said, referring to US missile systems provided to Ukraine last year, and the Biden administration’s decision last week to give Ukraine the flagship American battle tank.
“I don’t think fighter jets are easier than ATACMS, but I believe we need to try to push,” the Ukrainian military official told CNN, referring to the long-range missiles they still want.
The US believed that giving Ukraine new fighter jets would cause antagonizing between NATO and Russia. Poland was ready to transfer its fighter jets to Ukraine if the US allowed Warsaw to make F-16s. The US decided against that plan due to its provocative nature.
The Pentagon is giving them what they think they are capable of operating, maintaining and sustaining according to the deputy Pentagon press secretary. The F-16 is a complex system.
In only his second foreign trip since the Russian invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago, Zelensky gave a speech to the joint houses of the British parliament that deftly stroked the national ego at the same as making a direct plea for more heavy weaponry, including fighter jets.
“I trust this symbol will help us for our next coalition, coalition of the planes. I appeal to you, and the world in general, with simple and obvious words: Combat aircraft for Ukraine. Wings for freedom.”
Zelensky told the Prime Minister that he needed to communicate to the Cabinet in front of him in the Palace of Westminster Hall where Queen Elizabeth resided and where US President Obama stood for a similar message.
Sunak greeted Zelensky at Stansted Airport, north of London, after he landed aboard a UK Royal Air Force C-17 transport plane. Sunak had a picture of the pair embracing. The caption stated, “Welcome to the UK, President ZelenskyGloryyUa.”
Later, he traveled to Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles III, who told Zelensky: “We’ve all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long, I can’t tell you.”
“I am grateful to His Majesty for the warm welcome and for supporting Ukrainian citizens who have taken refuge from the war in the United Kingdom,” Zelensky said.
We have no way out. We must stand firm. Zelensky and Sunak spoke about the need for armored vehicles, tanks, fighter jets and more at Lulworth Camp in England.
The UK will begin training Ukrainian pilots on NATO-standard fighter jets, in what CNN understands would be the first official training program for Ukrainian pilots on Western fighter aircraft. There was however no mention of providing Ukraine with Western fighter aircraft that Zelensky has been calling for.
Zelensky said during a press conference with Sunak that Ukraine would be ramping up its diplomacy around the request for Eurofighter Typhoon jets, and suggested that it was not exclusively in the UK’s hands.
Zelensky said the Prime Minister was interested in providing fighter jets and that they could begin training pilots. “When it comes to Typhoons, not everything depends just on the decision of Great Britain.”
Zelensky responded, “I didn’t know it takes three years to train a pilot like that.” They will be sending pilots who have trained for two and a half years.
A United Kingdom Approach to the Military and Political Issues in Ukraine: Ben Wallace and Markovian Zelensky during a joint news conference in Kyiv
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace is investigating which aircraft could be given to Ukraine, but Downing Street maintained no decision has yet been taken on whether to supply the jets.
In the event of that scenario, the United Kingdom will have to take care of the military political consequences of the situation in Europe and the rest of the world.
The UK package targets six entities providing military equipment such as drones, as well as eight individuals and one entity connected to “nefarious financial networks that help maintain wealth and power amongst Kremlin elites,” a government statement read.
The UK government has already imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian individuals and entities since last February when Russia invaded Ukraine, according to UK government data.
During a joint news conference with Zelensky in Kyiv, Scholz said that he and his colleagues were here to remind people that Ukraine belonged to the European family.
Zelensky said that the european standard of life and the european rules of life are when the law rules in his address to the European Parliament.
The president warned European lawmakers that Russia wants to return Europe to the xenophobia of the 1930s and 1940s. He said that the answer was no. We are defending ourselves. We must defend ourselves.”
“I’ve heard about the readiness to give us the necessary weapons and support, including the aircrafts. He said that he will have a lot of bilaterals now and that they will raise the issue of the fighter jets. “So we are working and will continue working in Brussels.”
But despite Zelensky’s optimism, behind closed doors he is likely being warned that without a fully functioning air defense system, NATO’s expensive fighter jets could be easy prey for the Russians, and that any fighter jet commitment needs to be sequenced with better air defense.
The march of the Ukrainian leader to victory over the very idea of war, and what the UK would like to see from his meeting with the German Chancellor and French President
The Ukrainian leader’s track-record of persuading allies to give him what he wants hints at being successful in the United Kingdom.
His meeting with the German Chancellor and French President in Paris extended the conversation. “I see this meeting as a positive one and talking about concrete decisions. I would not want to make a lot of announcements public, but I can say that we are working towards enhancement of our capabilities.
Several European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, recently gave the green light to give Kyiv heavy battle tanks in response to Russian aggression.
He said that Russia will lose. We know that a victory will change the world. The UK is with us in our march to victory. The victory over the very idea of war.
