February 16, 2022

MAKING VLAD A LAUGHINGSTOCK:

Ukraine's comedian-turned-president stars in crisis (AFP, February 15, 2022)

Zelensky took it all in and did what he knew best: he told his nation of more than 40 million people to relax and plan a party.

"What should we do? Only one thing -- keep calm," he said last month.

"We will celebrate Easter in April. And then in May, the same as always -- the sun, holidays, barbeques," he said. "And before long, it's summer."

Then he declared February 16 -- the day some US officials picked as a possible start for President Vladimir Putin's assault -- a national "unity day" holiday on which people should come out with flags and balloons. [...]

The standoff with Russia over Ukraine's dream of joining NATO -- aspirationally written into the constitution but unlikely to happen in the coming decades -- could well define Zelensky's presidency for the coming years.

He came to power attempting to open lines of communication with Putin that could finally resolve the bloody separatist conflict after claiming more than 14,000 lives.

The two held a Parisian summit a few months after Zelensky's election that Putin hailed as an "important step".

But Zelensky read from a different script at his own post-summit media event.

"My counterparts have said it is a very good result for a first meeting. But I will be honest -- it is very little," he said.

Relations between the two men have been deteriorating ever since.

Putin has accused Zelensky's government of "discriminating" against Russian-speakers and reneging on past promises for settling the eastern conflict.

Zelensky's offer of a three-way summit with Putin and US President Joe Biden fell on deaf ears in Moscow last month.

But some analysts think Zelensky's stature has grown in the past few weeks.

"If Russia doesn't escalate and reduces its posture near Ukraine, it will likely be a little embarrassing for the US intelligence community, but it will also bolster Zelensky's position," the Foreign Policy Research Institute's senior fellow Rob Lee said.

"He didn't back down and NATO defence support increased."

Joe used the Intelligence agencies effectively for one of the few times in our history, whether he realizes it or not. Smart money says not, but we'll see how he uses Vlad's abject surrender. 


Posted by at February 16, 2022 12:00 AM

  

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