Ukraine’s 45-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky sounded defiant as ever after signing a new grain deal July 22 allowing millions of Ukraine’s grains to pass through Odessa and other Ukrainian ports. Zelensky didn’t mention that he’s no longer in control of Ukrainian ports because five months of war with the Russian Federation has surrendered the entire Black Sea coastline and all its ports. Ruling out a ceasefire with Russia, Zelensky said a pause in fighting, without a return of all Ukrainian sovereign territory, would only postpone the inevitable of more fighting. Any ceasefire, according to Zelensky, that allows Russia to keep seized Ukrainian territory, gives Moscow the chance to rearm and continue the battle. So, if you listen to Zelensky, the war goes on until Moscow surrenders, gets out of Ukraine, and returnis all hard-fought territory won over the last five months of war.
Zelensky’s essentially asking Russia to return all land seized during the five month war, before any talk of a ceasefire, let alone peace talks. “Freezing the conflict with the Russian Federation means a pause that give the Russian Federation a break to rest,” Zelensky told the Wall Street Journal. Zelensky doesn’t answer the question about if the trend continues fighting Russia, with the Kremlin seizing more Ukrianian sovereign territory, what’s Zelensky going to do then? If Zelensky had accepted Putin’s terms for ending the conflict four months ago, he would have only recognized Donetsk and Luhansk as independent territory, including Crimea as Russian territory. If Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to make a stronger point to Zelensky, he’d start bombing his Kiev offices. Having lost over 25% of Ukraine’s territory, Zelensky’s in no position to start making demands.
Responding to Russian news reports that he was in ill-health, Zelensky said he’s never felt better in his life. Ukrainian reports have said for months that Putin suffers from a terminal illness and won’t be around much longer. CIA Director William Burns and British Chief of Military Staff Sir Tony Radakin said Ukrainian reports of Putin’s failing health were “wishful thinking.” So the war of words goes on during the war between Zelensky and Putin. Zelensky says no to a ceasefire, only on the condition that Russia leaves all Ukrainian territory. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the the Kremlin would continue to consolidate all territory captured during the conflict. Zelensky’s demand that Russia leave all Ukrainian territory before he’d consider ceasefire or peace talks seems unrealistic. Under Zelensky’s leadership, Ukraine has lost its entire Black Sea coast and all its ports.
Zelensky keeps telling the Ukraine and the world in his daily video posts that all Ukraine needs in more advance U.S. weapons to beat back the Russian military. Zelensky has been given billions of dollars in military assistance, plus billions more to pay for the entire Ukrainian government. “Society believes that all the territories must be liberated first, and then we can negotiate about what to do and how we could live in the centuries ahead,” Zelensky told the Wall Street Journal, essentially saying the war goss on in perpetuity. Just like Ukraine’s forecasts of Putin’s terminal illness were all rubbish, it’s even more rubbish that the U.S. and Ukraine will vanquish the Russian military. No one in the European Union [EU] thinks that the Russian army is so beaten down it’s going to give up the fight in Ukraine. When you look at the current map of Russian-held territory, Ukraine will be fighting indefinitely.
Zelensky’s plan to battle the Russian Federation hasn’t resulting in a return of any Russian-held territory, it’s only lost more Ukrainian sovereign territory since the war began Feb. 24. Begging the U.S. for more lethal weapons, including HIMARS long-range mobile rocket launchers, hasn’t changed the battlefield in Ukraine. Russia continues to take over more sovereign Ukraine territory, forcing Zelensky to say he will fight Moscow in forever. “A more pressing need is air-defense systems that could prevent Russia from raining long-range missiles on otherwise peaceful cities hundreds of miles from the front-lines,” Zelensky said. Zelensky has also asked for more U.S. fighter jets hoping to engage Russian fighter jets in more dogfights over Ukrainian territory. All of Zelensky’s requests point to the fact that he’s happy taking billions from the U.S. government.
Signing a grain deal to start shipping Ukrainian and Russian grain products from Ukrainian ports, Zelensky feels no obligation to make any concessions to the Russian Federation. U.N. and Turkish officials brokered the new deal July 22 to allow grain shipments to transit out of Ukrainian ports, currently under Russian control on the Black Sea coast. “Diplomatic concessions to Moscow might stabilize the markets somewhat, but would only provide a temporary respite and boomerang in the future,” Zelensky said, refusing to negotiate on one inch of Ukrainian territory. U.S. and EU officials may grow weary of giving Ukraine a blank check to prosecute its war with the Russian Federation. If it becomes clear that there’s no end in sight to the Ukraine War, Zelesnky fears pressure coming from the White House to wrap up the conflict. Whether admitted to or not, the clock ticks on Zelensky’s war.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
