Zelensky Admits Counteroffensive Failing, Prepared to Blame NATO
The Trends Journal called on Kyiv to ignore the Biden administration that wants to see Russia emerge broken from the conflict.
President Volodymyr Zelensky gave an unusually sober assessment of Ukraine’s counteroffensive on Wednesday and admitted that gains have been hard to come by because the fight is not a “Hollywood movie.”
"Whatever some might want, including attempts to pressure us, with all due respect, we will advance on the battlefield the way we deem best," he said.
Of course, Zelensky wouldn’t say so, but his message was clearly to the West — Washington in particular — because future support may hang on how well Ukrainian forces perform on the battlefield.
Zelensky confirmed last week that his country is not ready to negotiate for a peaceful resolution with Russia—and said peace is not an option until Moscow withdraws all its troops.
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Zelensky met with a delegation of African leaders on Friday at a global peace summit in Kyiv and told reporters that he told them several times that negotiations with Russian forces are pointless.
“Any negotiations with Russia now that the occupier is on our land is to freeze the war, to freeze pain and suffering,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky mentioned how he has a lot riding on the next NATO summit in Lithuania and how Ukraine wants membership in the alliance.
“[NATO head Jens] Stoltenberg knows my position," Zelensky said. “We've told them numerous times: 'Don't knock the ground from under our feet.’”
Natalia Galibarenko, Ukrainian ambassador to NATO, said Tuesday that her country wants “some kind of invitation — or at least commitment […] to look at the timeframe and modalities of our membership.”
Ukraine’s bid to join the alliance has been a contentious issue among members, which is problematic for Ukraine given that the decision needs to be unanimous. Sweden, for example, has been blocked by Turkey and Hungary.
Stoltenberg said Kyiv will one day become a member, but did not give a timeframe. When Zelensky reapplied for membership late last year, Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, told reporters that it was not the right time.
TRENDPOST: We have noted that Western politicians and news outlets have worked hard not to set the standard too high for the Ukrainians in this counteroffensive because they do not want public support for this war of attrition to waver. Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, said earlier this month that Kyiv would not be graded on its effort.
Patrick Bury, former NATO analyst and a defense and security expert at the University of Bath, told Al Jazeera that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is “a long game” and that it is highly unlikely that there will be a major breakthrough in the early weeks because Russian forces are fully entrenched and their positions are “designed to channel attackers into killing zones.”
Al Jazeera noted that it is hard to get a full understanding about what is occurring on the front lines because there is virtually “no independent reporting.” Media outlets are relying heavily on comments from Ukraine.
Politico has reported that the Biden administration is closely watching the developments on the ground and senior officials are convinced that future support for the war and Biden’s global reputation “hinges on the success of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.”
Officials in Washington and Europe have framed the counter-offensive as a potential turning point for the war, but even The Times noted that “success” is not easily identified. Russian forces still occupy about 20 percent of the country.
The paper noted that Western leaders are still, at least publicly, letting Zelensky identify his idea of success. He has said his forces will not rest until Russian troops completely abandon the country. Western officials do not expect that outcome.
TREND FORECAST: As the war evolves, and it becomes clearer that Ukraine will not win, the messaging will also need to evolve. We’ve also noted that Western media will protect Ukraine and downplay any losses or failures.