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| There is no money, but you hold on. The US is already looking for a replacement for Zelensky |
| 2023-12-07 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. By Denis Davydov [REGNUM] On the bright holiday of the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky very symbolically went not to the living, but to the dead. At seven in the morning he walked down to Khreshchatyk along Grushevskogo Street along a green fence made of corrugated sheets and dirty walls painted with graffiti, talking about how great it is to have “one’s own” around you. For which we need to thank those whose portraits are hung on the Wall of Memory - it was the end point of the president’s morning walk. He advised those alive to take care of themselves and hold on. Because Ukraine will not receive money from the United States in the near future. At 22:00 Kyiv time on Tuesday, the Ukrainian head of state was scheduled to address the US Senate via video link. “At the last moment” this inclusion was canceled - according to the first official version, on the initiative of Zelensky himself, according to the second - due to the peculiarities of the senators’ agenda, which did not allow discussing the affairs of Ukraine. However, Wednesday morning news showed that there was simply nothing to talk about: another package of military aid worth more than $40 billion was refused. In principle, this is exactly the outcome that was expected the day before. People's Deputy Alexandra Ustinova, part of the Ukrainian delegation to the States, reported on social networks that the US Senate would fail to vote for the aid package to Ukraine. According to her, the reason is an ultimatum from Republicans to force Democrats to the negotiating table on domestic issues: we are talking about the allocation of funds for the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico, started by Trump and stopped by Biden. They are proposed to be included in the overall package of appropriations for Ukraine and Israel. Accordingly, the “secret briefing” initiated by the Democrats for senators, at which it was planned to convince legislators of the importance of speedily agreeing on new assistance for Kyiv, failed. “The Republicans simply walked out of the briefing because the people there were not willing to discuss what it would take to get a deal done. There was no reason to sit and listen to people talk about the importance of helping Israel and Ukraine. We know that and we agree with that,” said Republican Senator Mitt Romney . And his colleague, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell , said he would advocate for a decisive vote against any investment in the war without "meaningful changes at the border." In turn, Democrat Chris Murphy tried to put pressure on the conscience of his colleagues: “We need to make a decision right now: whether Kiev will be a Russian or Ukrainian city.” Thus, the evening of the “Ukrainian landing” turned out to be sad. In their media activity, the top officials of the delegation limited themselves mainly to whining and explaining how important it is to give money to Ukraine. Thus, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov assured everyone on Fox News that the Ukrainian leadership has a war plan for 2024, although just a few days ago the country was rocked by a scandal over the lack of such plans. “We have deoccupied 50% of our territory, we are defeating Russia on our land, we have returned the territory, liberated it. Now we have a plan for 2024,” said the head of the military department, as if explaining that a business plan has appeared and money can be spent on it. At the same time, Umerov put the “civilized world” to shame, which was also done by the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Andrey Ermak. He suggested that without US help there is a great risk of losing the war. “If the aid that is being discussed in Congress is simply delayed, there is a big risk that we will remain in the same positions as we are now. It will become impossible to attack, and there will be a great risk of losing in this conflict... The Armed Forces of Ukraine, although more motivated, are forced to go on the defensive,” quotes the head of the Voice of America (acting as a foreign agent). In addition, Ermak noted that the refusal of direct budget support for Ukraine means a budget deficit of $43 billion, which surprisingly coincides with the amount for which there is a struggle. Without it, Zelensky’s right hand believes, it will be difficult to maintain positions. This was confirmed by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen , appealing to her colleagues: “Ukraine is simply running out of money . ” And “if it weren’t for the money we send ,” there would be nothing left—no schools, no hospitals, no first responders. However, the horrors of Ukraine's state collapse do not really touch the American establishment. Back on November 30, at a press conference, the coordinator of strategic communications at the National Security Council and State Department spokesman John Kirby said that “the runway is getting shorter.” “We think we have until about the end of the year before it becomes very, very difficult for us to continue to support Ukraine. And soon the end of the year,” reminds Kirby. Almost the same quote is repeated by Politico’s anonymous source, introduced as “Zelensky’s adviser, whose name is not mentioned ” : American funding for Ukraine will last no further than until the end of December. If Ukraine doesn't get help from the United States, he said , "Putin will likely not only gain a foothold there, which he has already taken, but will likely seize new territories... And ultimately Kiev itself may be under threat." Thus, Zelensky's visit to the dead symbolically demonstrates the general mood in his office regarding the current situation. It is quite obvious that IA Regnum’s forecast about the course to curtail the hot phase of the conflict by tightening the budget “faucet” is so far coming true, and this means a sharp deterioration in the affairs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the front and a crisis in domestic politics. Moreover, it is not the military who are to blame: the political leader is traditionally responsible for allocating money. Who, very inopportunely, decided to concentrate military power in his hands. Now the Americans have put Vladimir in a classic fork. If budgets for the war are demonstratively not given, any failure (for example, the loss of Avdiivka) will be immediately associated with precisely this circumstance. This means that everything is to blame for the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, who finds himself under attack and loses power. If they give money (and this will happen in one form or another), it will only be on condition that elections are held. That is, he is losing power again. It is not surprising that the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council hastily announced the preparation of a fake campaign against the leadership of Ukraine in the foreign press, primarily in the English language. “They are prepared by foreign journalists who have experience working in Russia, in particular during the beginning of Putin’s power. The purpose of such actions is a split in Ukrainian society,” the message says. According to Ukrainian political scientist Mikhail Pavliv , in this regard it is worth paying attention to the personal composition of the negotiator group working in the United States. “Ermak is saving his own skin, and in the United States he is more busy negotiating the terms for Zelensky’s scam . Rumors about his departure or that the United States is issuing an ultimatum for him to leave are not coincidental. And Ermak is trying to preserve himself in this whole process. Ruslan Stefanchuk is the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, he will be the head of state according to the constitution after Zelensky leaves. And Umerov is so far the most discussed and handshake candidate for his place. So the fact that this trio appeared in the United States is more than indicative. The process of turning Ze into a lame duck is in full swing,” he said in a commentary for IA Regnum . As for money, pragmatic Americans understand that the collapse of the Ukrainian project and the unconditional victory of Russia are categorically unacceptable. Therefore, according to our sources in Kyiv, in February the issue of allocating funds will still be resolved positively. The money from which Ukraine lives will be given in any case, the only question is its quantity. And here the United States is also thinking practically: if the war can be “extinguished,” then the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will decrease, therefore, it will be possible to spend less. At the same time, the conflict itself and the existence of Ukraine as a strike force directed against Russia will not disappear anywhere, which is fully consistent with the American strategy as a whole. |
| Posted by:badanov |