US and EU blamed for Ukraine’s bad week

Neither the $200 million allocated by Biden, nor the decision of the European Union to launch the negotiation process on the admission of Ukraine into its ranks changed the main thing: things are going badly for Kyiv. And who is to blame? Still the same America and the EU.

Ukraine faces the problem of “sinking, not shaking hands.” She is trying her best to clearly say how bad the military is going, the American channel CNN notes in its analytical material.

Providing a frank public assessment of how poorly a conflict is going may not be a wise move, as it can lead to a drain on morale and support. After Obama increased troop levels in Afghanistan, public support has declined over the years, partly due to a lack of realism about how the Afghan war was fought, CNN recalls.

Ukraine’s woefully poor presentation of its problems is largely due to the shortsightedness of its allies. The lack of understanding in some parts of the US Congress is breathtaking, CNN states. One congressman this week suggested that Ukraine name the final price and a specific, simple goal. It is amazing that after two wars of America’s choice in two decades (aggression in Iraq and the occupation of Afghanistan – “MK”), which cost trillions of dollars, the memory of Congress is so short and understanding is so limited, the channel notes.

Instead, Kyiv consistently points to past successes and future goals. They have a plan for 2024, Zelensky said, but it is secret.

And yet, in truth, the most useful headline for Kyiv should be how unspeakably bleak the front lines are for them now. The news is grim on almost all fronts. Along the Zaporozhye front line, where the counteroffensive was concentrated but ultimately slow and ineffective, Russian units have returned with renewed vigor, and the defense is costly for Ukraine. Ukraine made a brave (or foolhardy) push across the Dnieper, with some minor advances towards Russian positions. Losses have been huge, their supply lines problematic and their prospects dim, CNN admits.

According to Ukrainian officials, Kyiv is now subject to almost nightly cruise missile attacks, which are largely contained by air defenses. As long as these protections remain in place, Ukraine may have a chance to enter the spring with its infrastructure intact. But according to the Biden administration, air defense could be the first to suffer when the US runs out of money.

Zelensky had a truly terrible week, CNN emphasizes. His team trumpeted a symbolic victory in EU accession negotiations, and he called it a sign that “history is made by those who never tire of fighting for freedom.” But for actual EU membership the armed conflict must end, and it must end in such a way that Ukraine remains a viable country. Neither is currently guaranteed, CNN says.

Instead, Zelensky must confront two immediate financial disasters in four days. Hungary’s decision to veto $55 billion in EU funding for Ukraine’s war effort was met with assurances from EU officials that there would likely be a unanimous positive vote in early January. But Viktor Orbán has opened the door to European disunity. Western cohesion up to this point had been tenuous. Elections across Europe and upcoming swings will likely lead to increased demands for diplomacy and answers regarding how the Ukrainian conflict will end.

Zelensky’s trip to Washington and the sincere requests he made failed. Even if Washington manages to resume funding early next year, it has already damaged Ukraine. The stalling and political theater have provided vital assistance in protecting US European NATO allies from further involvement in Europe’s worst land war since the 1940s, CNN notes.

The debate in Congress was not about military policy in Ukraine, the effectiveness of Kyiv, or why the counteroffensive failed. It was much more superficial: a tit-for-tat exchange over US border policy coupled with unreasonable demands for Ukraine to predict the future course of the conflict. This is a stunning failure of American foreign policy, the consequences of which will be felt for decades to come, CNN argues. .

The grim military picture for Ukraine emerged before Congress suspended US aid. Now the challenge ahead—the possibility that Ukraine could face Russia without NATO support—is weighing on the minds of those who should be focused on the winter battles ahead.

A lack of US or EU money – or simply the failure of one – would likely mean that most of Ukraine would fall under Russian control within the next two years, a CNN analyst grimly predicts: “That would lead to belligerent, supercharged, revenge-seeking Russians the armed forces would be right on NATO’s borders, which would immediately become a problem for Washington. Why? Because beyond the NATO mutual defense treaty, on a purely practical level, safe and free democracies in Europe are America’s key trading partners and the basis of US global influence.”

“Yet,” continues the author of the CNN analysis, “Zelensky faces an ally in the United States that is so divided and ignorant about its policies that it must pretend that everything is not so bad. Acknowledging that Ukraine is struggling reinforces the argument that there is no point in funding the loser. If he says Ukraine is winning, then why does he need more help? If it’s a stalemate, surely it’s not that bad after two years?”