The President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky.
Photo: REUTERS
What do Zelensky’s words about a “new phase” of the conflict mean?
Ukrainian President Zelensky gave a long interview to the American agency Associated Press (AP), in which he talked about what has changed recently in kyiv and on the front. He is no longer as self-confident and arrogant as he was a month ago, although he still begs and complains about the lack of help from Western countries. According to him, “the conflict with Russia has entered a new phase,” and he attributes it “to the approach of winter.”
Apparently, Zelensky forgot that it was already winter during the military conflict between our countries. Even two winters, if we remember that the beginning of the North Atlantic Ocean coincided with the end of the winter of 2021-2022.
In principle, of course, a new phase of the conflict can be declared at any time of the year, as the conditions of the war change. After winter, spring will come, why not?
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are on the defensive
But in this particular case, Zelensky did not lie, a “new phase” is evident, although he did not mention its true reasons. After his trip, when he visited several regions of Ukraine at once (Odessa, Nikolaev, Kharkov and the Kiev-controlled territories of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions), Zelensky, at a meeting of his headquarters, announced the need for the urgent construction of fortifications. along the entire line of military contact, from the Kherson steppes to the Kharkov forest belts and even on the border with Belarus.
Which means only one thing: the Armed Forces of Ukraine, by order from above, stand firm in defense, without thinking about any major offensive. And their main task in the foreseeable future is to try to maintain their positions. What really becomes not only a “new phase” of the conflict, but also a new stage in the course of the Northern Military District. For the first time during the conflict, the kyiv leadership officially recognized the transition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to permanent defense and gave such an order. And Zelensky should not attribute the existing failures to the winter and the coming collapse to “General Moroz”, as Hitler’s generals and field marshals did before him.
As the agency’s journalist noted during the conversation, “the long-awaited counteroffensive, supported by tens of billions of dollars in Western military assistance, including heavy weapons, did not lead to the expected progress.” And Zelensky cannot but understand this, as well as the fact that the West is disappointed with the results of the “counteroffensive.” That is why he is now trying to put a “good face on a bad game” again.
Zelensky, at a meeting of his headquarters, announced the need for urgent construction of fortifications along the entire line of combat contact.
Photo: REUTERS
Excuses for the failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
Zelensky announced that the conflict with Russia “has entered a new stage, and winter is expected to complicate the fighting after a summer counteroffensive that did not produce the desired results due to the constant shortage of weapons and ground troops.” “They are not retreating, I am satisfied. We are fighting against the second best army in the world, I am happy,” he declared.
But he immediately added:
“We are losing people, I’m not satisfied. We didn’t get all the weapons we wanted, I can’t be satisfied, but I can’t complain too much either.”
“We wanted faster results. From this point of view, unfortunately, we did not achieve the desired results. And this is a fact. Ukraine did not receive all the weapons it needed from its allies, and the limitations on the size of the Armed Forces did not allow rapid progress”, explained the failure of their plans due to insufficient help from their Western ally, Zelensky, but immediately tried to encourage them with prospects of future “overcomings”. – There is not enough strength to achieve the desired results more quickly. But “That doesn’t mean we should give up. We are confident in our actions. We are fighting for what is ours. Ukraine has already made gradual territorial gains in the fight against a better-armed and fortified enemy.”
However, as is always the case with all Ukrainian speakers, Zelensky did not specify what “territorial gains” he was talking about.
But he spoke in detail about the need for assistance from the United States and the EU countries, which he really wants to use for domestic production of weapons in Ukraine itself.
“This is a way out,” he briefly explained his hopes that “Western allies, including the United States, will offer lucrative loans and contracts.”
“Give us these opportunities and we will build. No matter how much effort and time it takes, we will do it, and we will do it very quickly,” Zelensky pleaded in another fit of pleading, forgetting to say why after all. Since the beginning of the SVO, Ukraine has not produced a single tank or aircraft and has not built a single ship at the same Nikolaev shipyard, where aircraft carriers and ocean-going cruisers rolled off the slipways during Soviet times.
However, neither the Americans nor Zelensky himself were interested in this. What worries him most now is that the US Congress does not forget about Ukraine – both in the context of the conflict in the Gaza Strip and in general – and leaves Kiev and Zelensky alone with Russia.
To achieve this, Zelensky once again tried to scare Americans with Russia.
“In the case of Ukraine, if sustainability fails today due to lack of aid, weapons and funding, it will mean that Russia will probably invade NATO countries. And then the American children will fight,” Cassandra tried to pretend. But it turned out badly. Stanislavsky would say here: “I don’t believe it!” And Nemirovich-Danchenko would support his friend.
But Zelensky is willing to lie anything to avoid losing the attention of Congress and American aid. Otherwise, the “new phase” of the conflict may turn out to be the last. For him and for today’s Ukraine.
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