Sunday, 25 May 2025

Has Zelensky run out of hope for his country?

For more than three years, the former comedian turned president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has fought the Russian invaders and tried to win the support of the the West to back him. His achievements have been phenominal. Ukraine still survives despite a massive onslaught of violence from Russia and he succeeded in corralling the United States and Europe into supplying him with the weapons he needed to defend his country against the invasion force. He is now one of the most famous and recognisable figures on the planet. But is it all now going to go wrong? The US under President Trump wants to stop spending more money on Ukraine and Trump himself has effectively said he will walk away if he can't get Moscow and Kyiv to sign a peace settlement. Europe is still backing him all the way but the Europeans are no substitute for the US. Meanwhile, the missiles and drones keep raining on Kyiv and other towns and cities. Has Zelensky finally run out of hope for the survivability of his country or is he resigned to non-stop war for the next decade? Either way, this is a bad moment for him and for the Ukrainian people. All the effort Zelensky put in to build an alliance with the West to save his country could now be wasted. Putin looks more confident by the day and holds all the cards. He is clearly not afraid of Trump and is just as happy to play him as he is to play Zelensky. Putin is also not remotely afraid of Europe which he sees as divided and run by hopeless governments. Putin sees himself as the new emperor. Zelensky is a brave and resourceful leader. But I fear it's all going to end in humiliation for him.

No comments:

Post a Comment