LOS ANGELES (OC).–Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed his European Union benefactor in a speech at the Davos Economic Forum, complaining about inaction on Russian President Vladimir Putin. After receiving over 100 billion euros, Zelensky’s missive tells the real story of survival and greed for the Ukrainian president. Zelensky keeps asking for more arms-and-cash from the U.S. and EU, with the EU responding recently to his claims that if he loses the war to Russia, Putin would train his eyes on more European territory. You’d think that if the EU really thinks that Putin could seize more European territory, they’d want Trump to take over Greenland, for no other reason than to keep Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping away from the Arctic territory. Listening to Zelensky complain about a sluggish response from the EU on Putin tells the real story with Ukraine.
Zelensky runs a bankrupt Kiev government, wholly dependent on foreign largess, now supplied by the European Union. Only recently, Zelensky urged the EU in the strongest terms to seize frozen Russian assets to give to Kiev to pay for war reparations. EU officials decided to hold off on taking such draconic steps instead cut Zelensky a loan deal amounting over two years to 200 billion euros. “What’s miss time or political will?” Zelensky said, frustrated that the EU war tribunal was never established. “There are endless internal arguments and things lef unsaid that stop Europe from uniting and speaking honestly enough to fin real solutions,” Zelensky said in Davos. Zelensky spoke in Davos with President Donald Trump, now thinking he’s the only one with any clout with Putin. Zelensky played the EU against the U.S., now jumps on the Trump bandwagon.
` Zelensky has been playing around for months, rejecting Trump’s peace plan that has Ukraine trading land in eastern Donbas for peace. Zelensky has stubbornly resisted the idea of ceding land to Putin, despite the fact that Putin controls Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014. Zelensky thinks he can end a four-year-old war without surrendering spoils to Putin. Putin has seized in four years about 25% of Ukraine’s best sovereign territory. He accused Trump of favoring Putin in any peace deal, winning the sympathies and cash from the EU. Now he’s complaining that the EU doesn’t do enough containing Putin. Zelensky has already gotten the EU to fund his war with the Kremlin over the next two years. EU officials, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, have resisted Trump’s peace plan, believing that it rewards Putin to take more EU territory.
EU officials bought Zelensky’s argument that the Ukraine War defends European democracy, when, in fact, it makes it less stable. Keeping the war going damages Ukraine’s infrastructure, kills thousands of Ukrainian troops and gives Putin more territory every month. Trump has urged Zelensky to cut his losses, make concessions, end the war and start rebuilding his country. Yet until Davos, Zelensky was pitting the U.S. against the EU, with certain members of the EU opposed to Trump for various reasons. French President Emmanuel Macron has a vendetta with Trump much the way he has one with Putin. “Europe has lost trying to convince the U.S. President to change. Bu he will not change. President Trump loves who he is, and he say he loves Europe, but he will not listen to this knod of Europe,” Zelensky said, once again, play the U.S. off the EU.
Zelensky could flip-flop at any time over the brass tacks of the deal involving trading land for peace. Putin insists on taking his spoils after four-year-s of war, controlling most of eastern Donbas with Donetsk and Luhansk. Today Zelensky acts like it’s good-Trum and bad-EU. Who know what machinations Zelensky goes through when things get down to making tough decisions. Zelensky doesn’t want to admit that he;s lost the war to the Kremlin but it’s clear Putin has dealt Ukraine as serious blow to its infrastructrre, taking more land on the 1,000 kilometer front Trump hopes that Zelensky comes to his senses and signs onto his peace plan to finally end the Ukraine. Putin seems to go along with what Trump wants, pushing him to make a deal with Zelensky to take control of Donbas. Putin wanted to keep Kherson and Zaporizhzia but know he must compromise under Trump’s plan
Moving into Trump’s corner, Zelensky has real opportunity to end the war if he can get over the idea that Putin has control of eastern Donbas. Since the Feb. 22, 2014 Maiden Revolution, the Peoples Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk want no part of Zelensky’s Kiev government. Putin feels obligated to liberate Russian enclaves, promise to continue affliliating with Russia. “It’s all about the eastern part of our country. IT all about this land. This is the issue which we [have] not solved,” Zelensky said. Zelensky has not controlled eastern Donbas since before the Maiden Revolution and he has far less control now. So, when it comes to compromising for peace, Zelensky has nothing to lose ceding eastern Donbas to Putin. If Trump can help Zelensky get over the hump, he has peace within his reach, allowing his country to get back to a new normal.
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.
