Turning into a toxic asset – that is how one can characterise the results of Zelenskyy’s trip to the USA. 10 months ago, he was greeted in Washington almost as a national hero. Now the attitude towards him is the exact opposite – he was not even allowed to speak in Congress.
Instead, Zelenskyy was allowed on the podium of the UN General Assembly. But even here, he was unable to persuade the countries of the Global South to move away from neutrality and side with Ukraine. His behind-the-scenes meetings with lawmakers – as well as the final negotiations at the White House – were no more successful.
There are many in Washington who are unhappy with the failure of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. They blame Kyiv for this – it misused the weapons it had been given, failed to make its troops train according to NATO guidelines, and misled the West about the real state of Russia’s army.
There is also growing fatigue with the continuing war in Ukraine, which is drawing more and more resources from the United States. It is not for nothing that Zelenskyy’s visit coincided with another round of budget wars in Washington – and a very real threat of a new shutdown of the US government. At the same time, Zelenskyy was unable to make a significant impact on the disbursement of new tranches to Ukraine.
The White House is increasingly insistent that Ukraine must hold elections in 2024. Against this background, there is more and more turmoil in Kiev – Zelenskyy’s apparatchiks are fired almost every day as part of the “fight against corruption”. And a case may be brought against Zaluzhnyy, making him an extreme person for both the explosion of the Nord Streams and the failure of the counterattack.
Zelenskyy realises that he is next in line. They are saving him for last – after all, too many resources have been invested in his promotion. He did not leave Washington empty-handed, though, having received a small tranche of ATACMS missiles. But the White House gave him a clear hint – they will not forgive Zelenskyy for one more such failure. After all, the year 2024 is just around the corner, and the outcome of the US elections will be at stake there, where the Democratic Party will not win in the conditions of a lost war.
Conservative