Up until Russia’s criminal war against Ukraine February 24, few Americans understood America’s tortured history with Ukraine, much less its president was Volodymyr Zelensky. Now Zelensky’ is touted thruout U.S. and NATO countries as the new Churchill for his courageous stand against Russian aggression, refusing any thought for his personal safety.
But while the onus for any criminal war is on the country that starts it, reckless conduct of the attacked both before and during the war must be considered in understanding the conflict. On that score President Zelensky is a failure.
He was president only 21 months before the war began. During that time he lobbied for Ukraine to join NATO, which gave the lie to his claim of seeking a better relationship with Russia. He also continued Ukraine’s relentless shelling of the breakaway Russian speaking provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk in the Donbass. Over 13,000 dead there refutes any Zelensky claim to being a leader for peace.
What he should have done to improve relations with Russia; indeed, avoid war, was renounce any intention to join NATO, and implement the 2015 Minsk II Accords, which would have granted the provinces semi autonomy while keeping them under Ukraine sovereignty.
Were those reckless actions rookie mistakes, or was Zelensky simply unfit to ever function on the world stage?
His statements since the war began 26 days ago point to the latter. Faced with an utterly unwinnable war devastating his country, he played the World War III card to get direct US/NATO involvement. He requested, begged, even demanded a No-Fly Zone to shoot down Russian aircraft. The US and NATO said in effect, ‘Are you crazy. That means World War III.’
Zelensky upped the march to Armageddon yesterday, asserting he’s considering entering the current Ukraine-Russian negotiation being brokered by NATO member Turkey. Then he dropped the stupid bomb, stating that if negotiations fail, “that would result in a third world war”.
A sensible leader doesn’t call for help from other countries that world likely result in World War III. Even worse is telegraphing your negotiating position on ending criminal war: ‘Give in to me or risk World War.’
Zelensky, a lawyer tuned comedian and entertainment mogul, is not stupid. But as president he reminds me a bit of Bob Dylan’s line in ‘Masters of War’: “You masters of war, play with my world, like it’s your little toy.’
Walt Zlotow became involved in antiwar activities upon entering University of Chicago in 1963. He is current president of the West Suburban Peace Coalition based in the Chicago western suburbs. He blogs daily on antiwar and other issues at www.heartlandprogressive.blogspot.com.
The US is pushing him? I mean they aren’t shutting down this rhetoric.
Biden’s strategy is to keep this war going for as long as possible, so he can blame inflation and everything else in the economy on Russi… sorry, “!!!PUTIN!!!”
A sensible strategy would be to acknowledge the 2014 coup and the fact that pro-democracy Donbass has been bombed by the Azov Battalion’s US-supplied artillery ever since then, with 150,000 conscripts amassed last fall for an invasion, after a long time of ignoring the Minsk Agreement. A sensible strategy would be to tell Zelensky to stop arresting politicians, banning parties, banning media, like he’s been doing for two years, and to negotiate with Russia.
BUT that would mean acknowledging that Biden started this from the beginning. He was in charge of Ukraine policy under Obamba. Victoria Nuland was his henchwoman, bragging about funding the groups that bused in “spontaneous protesters” who killed nine police officers, then raided police stations, overthrew government, burned and looted party offices, etc. All so Biden could get his monthly money, via crack-and-meth-in-hotel-rooms-with-prostitutes bagman Hunter, receiving $50,000 per month on Burisma’s board, while not working even a single day. As his laptop showed, he sends half of all the bribes through his “career” to Joseph Biden, that’s the deal. “To the big guy.”
So here we are. Biden will keep this going for as long as he can by providing the weapons to the conscripted cannon fodder.
It’s also about money, of course. Drop one war, start another.
So basically we have the fox guarding the hen house.
Well said.
Tell tells the truth in a clear, concise way. Like Bob Dylan’s quote about war wagers, this is the Biden handler’s wag the dog
Zelensky doesn’t care about the rest of the world- he has already thrown his own nation under the bus and I feel he just wants to take everyone else down with him. By the way, if Ukraine is winning this ‘splendid little war’ why does he keep running around the world begging for help?
THIS
It’s funny how everything Russia does is “failure!” and “desperate!”
Advancing as fast as can be expected when avoiding civilian casualties, wholly 150 km on every front – “Failure!”
Then giving that up because of all the mockery and shelling the enemy positions among civilians. “Desperate!”
Encircling the enemy’s capital with no successful pushback, but not taking the city since you’re focusing on cutting off the enemy’s armies from cities, and you want to avoid civilian casualties in the streets. “The Russians are out of FUEL and FOOD!” (When they can get supplies from across the border in a day.)
And the most amazing, when Russia used their new weapon, which Washington doesn’t have and has no counter for, missiles that release dummies that trick U.S. anti-missile tech. Works very well, and a war like this one is exactly when to use it.
The media: “Revealing the new weapon shows Putin’s DESPERATION!”
And let’s not forget the other headlines:
“Putin holds a speech in an expensive jacket!” (Actual front-page news)
“Putin’s mistress!” (He isn’t married, but somehow his girlfriend is a mistress)
“Putin’s failed blitzkrieg!”
“Putin’s banks hold Europeans hostage!”
“Putin’s energy plans!” (Selling gas to Western Europe was just a way to get a bargaining chip)
“Putin’s oligarchs!” (Still waiting for a story on Zelensky’s oligarch backer, who while a Jew like Zelensky hired the Azov Battalion as his personal enforcers)
Any journo can just write his own story built on nothing now. Like with SADDAM, Iran’s NUKES, Syria’s CHEMICAL WEAPONS.
It’s actually PUTIN “that wants to take everyone down with him” if he’s unable to restore the USSR or go even further back in time to Russia’s Empire.
Zelensky has provided weapons to women and children so they could fight the invaders. In essence turning them into enemy combatants.
Zelensky has spread the army throughout the civilian population.
And Zalensky has stored weapons in non-military buildings.
Zelensky has refused offers from Russia to evacuate the civilian population
Zalensky has refused to lay down the weapons.
The result of all of the above is a continuous slaughtering of civilians.
It looks to me that the war criminal is Zelensky since he has and continue to put civilians lives on harms way.
He is crazy. I read somewhere he has a drug addiction. Not sure if it’s true of course.
People keep talking about Zelensky as if he matters. He doesn’t. Never did. He was hired by a Ukrainian oligarch to run for President. The morons in Ukraine elected him because he played President on a comedy show. The Nazis told him if he made any concessions they would hang by the neck in a Ukrainian street. The CIA told him what he was supposed to do. He made a ton of money in entertainment, allegedly worth over a billion dollars, with a mansion in Florida.
And yet people think Zelensky has any agency at all. The Russians know he doesn’t. They aren’t “negotiating” for anything except a Ukraine surrender so no more Russians and Ukrainians get killed. Either Zelensky surrenders – which he can’t – or Russia will continue the operation. Even if the CIA and the Nazis let him surrender, Russia will continue the operation of de-militarization and de-Nazification and the other conditions will be created when Russia replaces the existing Ukraine government with a new caretaker government.
Zelensky is utterly irrelevant. He is a propaganda puppet, nothing more. Stop talking as if he can “negotiate” anything on his own.
He made a ton of money, but I doubt it was from the entertainment business.
Good point. Ukraine is the most corrupt country on the planet.
The guy is a megalomaniac and a very dangerous one.
I wonder if the author knows anything about the HISTORY of Russia DOMINATING Ukraine–since Catherine the Great.After barely acknowledging Russia’s INVASION of Ukraine, Walt Zlotow expresses almost all his “concern” for what he calls “the reckless conduct of the attacked”. Has such a hideous phrase been applied to other victims of war? How about any conflict where Suni & Shia Muslims carry on seemingly endless civil wars against each other? Are they called upon to STOP their madness & say “we’re brothers in Islam”. I support the Palestinians having their own state and am well aware of Israel’s atrocities. Does anyone on the Left call them out for THEIR acts of violence00whether car0-bombs or individuals blowing themselves up? If one doesn’t want to call them “terrorism” against civilians, one could say they’ve been tactically stupid and given cover to Israel’s horrible policies.
I suggest Zlotow educate himself further on Russia and Ukraine.
well dear, that was all very long ago. haven’t you noticed that the world is now living in the New American Century ?
There is no “Zelensky”. Every word he says, every noise he makes comes direct from DC. He’s just an overpaid finger puppet. Let’s stop talking about Zelensky and call him “Biden”. Or “Mrs Kagan”.
I don’t know exactly how much responsibility Zelensky has for the destruction of Ukraine, but it seems substantial.
He was at 25% approval before the war, harassing and trying to jail his political opponents, etc.
All that said, to stop the war ASAP, i put together this little fact sheet to implore the US to get actively involved in the negotiations.
https://the-us-needs-to-get-involved-in-negotiations-to-end-the-war.us/
The thinking is, as long as we don’t get actively involved, it’s easier for us (The United States) to pretend that we want an end to the war.
yes Walt – it is difficult to the almost impossible to decipher his quest for peace technique – Its completely random – or MAD !! take cover..
He who lives by the coup dies by the coup.
The common sense of Christ, what King with ten thousand troops and weighs the situation doesn’t make peace when he is vastly out gunned and out maned, only a mad man.
It’s a tragic comedy in the making with Zelensky absolutely ripping into NATO and the UN, insulting them for being ‘ineffective’ and ‘uncooperative’ because they’re not granting his every wish- the main one being to impose a No-Fly Zone over the Ukraine when NATO is absolutely, 100% aware that this is the trigger for WW3. I’m sure many, if not all of you, have heard the old saw “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”- in Zelensky’s case, the ‘squeaky wheel’ may very well be replaced altogether if he’s not a little more careful about biting the hand that feeds him.
Should be replaced.
Wow, how things have changed since this report.
Jan 20, 2020 Ukraine President Zelensky: Don’t involve us in U.S. politics
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke out on the latest allegations of “pressure” by President Trump behind the Democrat push for impeachment.
https://youtu.be/EVgD-gGePO4