Ukraine’s 45-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the Danish Parliament asking for advanced U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, showing off his prodigious sales skill, coercing Europeans to further escalate the 18-month old Ukraine War. Zelensky’s pitch remains steadfast to European countries that Ukraine is the only buffer between Russia and a European takeover. How any rational European state accepts Zelensky’s rubbish is anyone’s guess. Russian President Vladimir Putin has no interest in seizing NATO countries, he wants the U.S. to stop supplying Ukraine with lethal weapons. Europe has been sucked into 80-year-old President Joe Biden’s vendetta with 70-year0-old Russian President Vladimir Putin. Yet it doesn’t stop Zelensky from making his sales pitch to any country that can supply Ukraine with advanced U.S.-made fighter jets.
Zelensky doesn’t like to talk about Ukraine’s failure in its vaunted counteroffensive to make any significant progress in ridding the country of Russian troops, deeply dug into Ukraine’s Southeastern Donbas region. Russian had troop in Donbas, defending Russian speaking enclaves before the Feb. 24, 2022 Russian invasion and will no doubt have troops there long after the war ends. “All of Russia’s neighbors are under threat if Ukraine does not prevail,” Zelensky said, giving the same pitch he’s given to the U.S. Congress and European Parliament. Zelensky has no other excuse to extract more advanced weapons from NATO countries other than telling them without Ukraine battling he Kremlin every European country is at risk, compete rubbish, yet he keeps selling his the same message. Zelensky knows that NATO can take care of its members without bankrupt, war-ravaged Ukraine.
Zelensky chose shortly after the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion to wage war against the Kremlin, losing, in 18-months of war, some 25% of Ukraine’s sovereign territory but, more importantly, it’s Black Sea coast and strategic ports. Zelensky gambled going to war against Russia and has paid a catastrophic price. Had Zelensky accepted Putin’s offer shortly after the invasion started to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk and Russian sovereignty over Crimea, he wouldn’t face widespread devastation, millions in exile and a bankrupt nation. Zelensky never tells any foreign government the truth about Ukraine’s finances, a bankrupt government wholly dependent on U.S. taxpayers to fund Kiev’s government. Talking to the Danish parliament, Zelensky sounds tough-and-secure. But the truth is that Zelensky never admits Ukraine’s failures under his four years in power.
Whatever Demark does with in F-16s is there choice but it’s not likely to change the outcome in Ukraine where Zelensky faces a superior military force with a long track record of occupation in foreign lands like Afghanistan and Chechnya. Zelensky opted for war over ceasefire and peace talks, entering into an arrangement with Biden to satisfy his desire to take on Putin. Putin and the Kremlin see the Ukraine War as a conflict between Russia and the U.S. and NATO, not one with Ukraine. “International law will not be resuscitated, democracies of the world, each of hem can become a target—either for missiles, or for mercenaries, or for destabilization, and I am sure you can feel it. But Ukraine will prevail,” Zelensky told the Danish parliament. How can anyone believe his rubbish, selling Ukraine as the defender of European democracy? Ukraine can’t pay or defend itself without U.S. and NATO help.
Zelensky asks the Danish parliament to believe that Putin threatens all of Europe, all because he opted for war with the Kremlin over as ceasefire and peace talks. Zelensky doesn’t want peace talks, he wants U.S. cash to follow by the billions into Ukraine’s coffers. Telling the Danish parliament that without Ukraine, the rest of Europe will fall into the Russian orbit is preposterous. It’s one thing to ask for F-16s, it another to concoct complete nonsense and sell it to NATO. Zelensky begged NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenbergy for NATO membership, only to find out that as a country at war, Ukraine doesn’t meet NATO membership requirements. But why does Zelensky continue to spew such rubbish to foreign governments in his quest to get more lethal weapons? It tells anyone paying attention that Zelensky is a sophisticated salesman, not a responsible leader.
No competent leader would opt for war with the Kremlin, knowing the implications for peace on the European Continent. Whatever Zelensky wanted, he could not get it all without some kind of compromise. Knowing he wasn’t getting NATO membership, why would Zelensky drag the U.S. into an unending war with the Russian Federation? Zelensky knows the longstanding U.S.-Russian relationship, responsible for managing the world’s nuclear arsenals, keeping global peace, despite clear differences in ideology. No, Zelensky wanted his war with Russia at great expense of Ukraine and Europe. Listening him tell European parliaments that the war must go on to protect European democracy is pure rubbish. EU leaders should sit him down and tell him to stop making outrageous claims. Zelensky’s war won’t change with F-16s. He needs a ceasefire and peace talks.
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.
