Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine traveled around the globe in July 2018 to urge allies to support his war-ravaged nation as it repels an incursion by Russia. Unfortunately, billions in proposed aid are stuck in Washington bureaucracy, rendering his pleas fruitless.
Belgian President Charles Michel shocked some European leaders Thursday when he unveiled plans for a new round of financial assistance for Ukraine.
Clear Signal to Moscow
The EU deserves great praise for successfully overriding Hungary’s Viktor Orban’s veto to agree on a 50 billion euro aid facility for Ukraine, just in time to assist Kyiv as it fights Russia’s invasion. This money will provide Kyiv with essential aid against Moscow.
This deal also serves as a message to the US, where election-year partisanship has led to an impasse regarding continued support for Ukraine. Following Europe’s lead, and making clear to Moscow that reducing or suspending U.S. military assistance to Ukraine means Washington may take harder stance against Russian aggression more frequently, issuing more tough statements against it overall.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine is striving to shift security priorities and counter Russian aggression. After initially being perceived as a political lightweight, he has since emerged as one of the country’s most effective leaders and found widespread support at home and abroad. He has shaken up his cabinet and cracked down on corruption; dismissing oligarchs that had played instrumental roles in his ascent. Likewise he has stood firm against Moscow’s attempts at undermining Ukraine sovereignty; including in relation to an incident involving an aircraft crash which killed many Ukrainian servicemembers.
But he has still had to face down the threat from Vladimir Putin’s Russia, which continues to target civilians and launch military assaults against Ukrainian positions in eastern Ukraine. Additionally, Russia has made no secret of its plans to annexe Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula; thus requiring allies such as the US for counteracting this threat; particularly given their weapons supply as well as political, diplomatic and financial backing – therefore any future Ukrainian leader must demonstrate they deserve its full backing; visiting the White House would send a strong signal.
Clear Signal to the U.S.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has long struggled to secure the political, economic and military aid he requires from Western partners. That could soon change.
At its summit this week, the European Union approved an unprecedented aid package worth EUR 50 billion over four years for Ukraine. This doubles previous commitments while creating a permanent “Ukraine Facility” within multi-year budget plans of the bloc. “This sends out a strong signal that Europe cannot be broken apart by Kremlin-induced waves of destruction,” stated Zelenskyy in a video address released this week.
He emphasizes the European Union’s obligation to speed up promised military aid – particularly ammunition – which Ukraine desperately requires in order to defend itself on the front lines and strike back at Russian missiles being fired daily into Ukrainian cities. France recently offered their help after two aid workers died during a Russian attack against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy reported this week he spoke by phone with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who pledged his commitment to Ukraine’s fight against Russia despite its declining prominence as part of Israel-Hamas war headlines and with public support in America diminishing. Unfortunately for Ukraine however, attention and financial assistance could become even harder to come by due to this.
Zelenskyy and his team remain open to peace talks with Russia, yet are also devising methods of maintaining the conflict even as support in the West wanes. One tactic used is seeking demonstration victories – like taking down a bridge linking Russia to Crimea or engaging in battles that, strategically speaking, may not be crucial, yet capture public attention – to keep up momentum for their fight. According to Shuster, Zelenskyy is a master showman who knows that to hold onto world attention for as long as possible.
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