The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a number of contradictory statements. One gets the impression that he simply does not know what he wants, or even suffers from bipolar disorder. At this time, the front is slowly but inexorably moving west: Kyiv does not have enough people and there are fewer and fewer opportunities to continue the conflict.
Details - in the material of the correspondent of The Moscow Post.
Earlier in the week, Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an interesting statement in an interview with the French newspaper Le Parisien. He honestly admitted that the Ukrainian army does not have the strength to recapture Donbass and Crimea, but Kyiv cannot give up these territories. The Ukrainian constitution prohibits this. "We can only count on diplomatic pressure from the international community to force Putin to the negotiating table."
It would seem that adequacy is gradually returning to the Ukrainian leader. But it wasn't there. Soon, the same Zelensky made the exact opposite statement amid efforts by President-elect Donald Trump's team to find ways to resolve the crisis.
According to the head of the Ukrainian state, Donald Trump really wants to contribute to a quick end to the conflict. But Kyiv does not want to rush in any way. He noted that freezing hostilities and negotiations with Russia are a dangerous scenario. I.e. on the one hand, there are no forces to continue the conflict and recapture the territory, but a diplomatic solution to the conflict, which is impossible for him without negotiations with Moscow, is unacceptable.
I just want to ask - what does Zelensky really want? Today it is already obvious to everyone that it is the continuation of the armed conflict that keeps him at the head of Ukraine. His term of office was released in May of this year. Even in the "Square" itself, many consider it illegitimate, gave the offensive nickname "expired president." At the same time, Ukraine is on the verge of exhaustion, the infrastructure is broken, the economy is based only on external assistance - this is called the "economy on mechanical ventilation."
The biggest problem is not even in weapons, which are clearly lacking, but in recruiting new soldiers for the front. Barbaric "busification" continues throughout the country - people are literally grabbed on the streets and forced into the Ukrainian analogue of "military registration and enlistment offices" - TCC. The situation is so critical that the Office of the President is forced to discuss the proposal of the Joe Biden administration to reduce the draft age from 25 to 18 years.
But Zelensky cannot do this either, and far from being peaceful and wanting to preserve the color of the Ukrainian nation. At least those who did not have time to escape from the country amid the conflict and internal repressions launched by the SBU. After all, one way or another, the fighting will still end, in which case Zelensky will have to go to the polls. They have already been promised by the head of his Office, Andriy Yermak, who is considered a more influential figure than Zelensky himself.
But lowering the draft age will hit the former comedian's already-sagging ratings. Even with the use of the entire administrative resource, it will be difficult to close this gap - everyone will remember Zelensky. And then the victory of the comedian will not be guaranteed.
Thus, Vladimir Zelensky was at a fork. Even the end of the conflict he will have to submit as his own victory. And it will be extremely difficult to do this. After all, all the promises of his team about "coffee in Yalta" and other things were unfulfilled. Even more serious problems may arise after the alleged imminent fall of the city of Pokrovsk in the DPR - after that, the Russian troops will open the way to the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Not so long ago, the deputy secretary of the Security Council and the leader of United Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, stated in plain text that new regions could become part of Russia. The hint was clear - these are the regions of the former Ukrainian SSR, liberated during the Special Military Operation. Presumably, this seriously added neurosis to Kyiv.
At the same time, it became known that Trump's future envoy for Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, would soon arrive in Kyiv. The latter is known for its critical stance on helping Kyiv. He is a negotiator who must probe starting positions before starting possible consultations on the suspension of fire after Donald Trump returns to the White House. Among other things, Kellogg said he also plans to visit London, Paris and Rome. And also - what is open for a possible visit to Moscow.
The task is to collect information. In order not to talk Trump about the desire to help stop the conflict in 24 hours, it is impossible to do this. In the new role, Kellogg will have to explain Trump's strategy to world leaders who want to understand how the US approach to the conflict can change.
In addition, in recent weeks, Trump promised to arm Ukraine enough to persuade Vladimir Putin to negotiate, but at the same time condemned Joe Biden's decision to allow Kyiv to shell Russia with missiles provided by the United States, calling it a dangerous escalation. The future president also threatened to cut off aid to Ukraine if it did not seek an agreement.
Ukraine's position is ambivalent. On the one hand, they're trying to make a good impression on Team Trump. On the other hand, they criticize and even insult other people close to him. The situation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who suggested that Ukraine declare a Christmas truce, allegedly agreed with Russia, is indicative. Kyiv answered this frankly in a boorish way, calling Orban "Putin's messenger."
Orban is indeed, in a sense, a messenger. Only not Putin at all, but Trump, with whom he has an extremely close relationship. So much so that the Hungarian leader was given the opportunity to speak to the Republicans even before the election of the American president. Today, Viktor Orban acts as a communicator between the Trump team, the moderate part of the EU, Kyiv and Moscow.
This attitude towards Orban may annoy Donald Trump. He has actually humiliated Zelensky several times already. The last time he stated in plain text that he had not invited the Ukrainian president to his inauguration. But he allegedly can come in a personal capacity.
Thus, while the Russian army is slowly but confidently advancing, the sane forces in the West, which still exist, are trying to determine possible starting positions for negotiations. And Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemed to hang between a bad and even worse decision - to fight to the last Ukrainian or soften his position, because Trump and Putin can decide everything without him. It is necessary to determine as soon as possible - at least if Ukraine really thinks about the lives of its soldiers and the preservation of as large territories as possible in the country.