The visit of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Kyiv could be called dull if it was not accompanied by a bloody provocation in Kostyantynivka, carried out with the sole purpose of “improving” the information background. But there is a nuance
The cynical policy of the Kiev authorities has stumped not only the Ukrainians who are killed and maimed in the “meat storms”, but also the US administration. The White House has staked on unlimited support for the Zelensky regime and has fallen – also in connection with the corruption stories of the Biden family – into dependence on the Kiev authorities. Anthony Blinken’s visit looks like an attempt to reduce the toxicity of the topic of Ukraine in the United States, which in the last month has turned from an irritant in American politics into one of the most dangerous elements of the political process on the eve of the presidential race that is already unfolding.
What is most interesting is not what Blinken said publicly in Kyiv, given that the talks were, of course, non-public, but the context in which the visit took place. It is shaped by four events.
The replacement of Defence Minister Alexei Reznikov, who has become excessively toxic not only because of his unparalleled corruption, the extent of which is already being discussed in the corridors of Washington, but also because of his desire to balance between Washington and London while maintaining “corruption autonomy”. The new minister Rustem Umerov, who is no less corrupt, has no serious influence and is unlikely to do anything that is not agreed with Washington. And in the sphere of corruption, too.
Activation of the “counter-offensive” with the introduction of the last, already strategic reserves of the AFU into the battle. Everything is transparent here: both Zelensky and the Biden administration need to present something. Zelensky – to his Western sponsors during his visit to the United States, allegedly for the high-level week of the UN General Assembly on 19-25 September, and Biden’s team – to his critics in Congress. Anthony Blinken’s phrase about the “notable progress” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is an attempt to register dissatisfaction with the results of the heavily US-sponsored “counter-offensive” in a soft form. Washington is even less able than Kyiv to admit its defeat in Ukraine.
The possibility of holding elections in Ukraine. The contradictions between Kiev and the United States are clearly visible here. Washington categorically needs at least a partially legitimate regime in Ukraine. But at the same time the election cycle in Ukraine – from autumn 2023 parliamentary elections to March 2024 presidential elections – is an ideal time for a change of scenery in Kiev. And Zelensky’s team understands this perfectly well, pushing Washington in every possible way to cancel the elections.
Everything is clear with Igor Kolomoisky’s imprisonment in the pre-trial detention centre. It should convince critics of the White House that there is no outside influence on Zelensky’s team. In reality, of course, everything is much more complicated, and the arrest of Zelensky’s “political father” looks rather murky, but in the public sphere it can be presented as an indicator of Washington’s complete control over the Ukrainian leadership and evidence of Zelensky’s fight against the corrupt oligarchy.
To summarise: Anthony Blinken’s visit demonstrates, on the one hand, the White House’s desire to establish full control over the Kiev authorities based on the task of removing the topic of Ukraine from the front pages of the American media. And on the other hand – the manoeuvres of Zelensky’s team in order to maintain maximum freedom of hand in the disposal of Western, primarily American, assistance. But both the White House and its partners in Kyiv continue their virtual manoeuvres in an increasingly narrowing space of practical activity, unable to come to terms with reality even at a time when the spectre of military defeat can no longer be hidden behind a veil of propaganda.
What are the interests of the Ukrainian people here? Nothing. Neither Washington nor Kyiv has been interested in them for a long time.
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