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Zelensky's visit to the United States|Russia-Uzbekistan war is set for a protracted period

2022-12-22T10:48:10.820Z


The Russo-Ukrainian war has lasted more than 300 days. People may remember that at the beginning of the war on February 24, the United States once offered to help Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky escape from Kyiv, but was rejected.


The Russo-Ukrainian war has lasted more than 300 days.

People may remember that at the beginning of the war on February 24, the United States once offered to help Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky escape from Kyiv, but the latter rejected it.

If this decision had not been made, perhaps the war would have ended long ago.

Today, when the war situation is once again at a stalemate, Zelensky left the country for the first time on December 21 and crossed the Atlantic Ocean after personally visiting the soldiers who had been standing in Bakhmut on the front line of Donetsk (Donetsk) for five months. Flew to Washington for a short 10-hour visit.

Zelensky, who was always wearing olive green wartime casual clothes, had a face-to-face meeting with Biden, who was in a neat suit, at the White House and met with reporters. speak.

After a hasty trip, what Zelensky brought back home was not only Patriot missiles, but also the seemingly firm war support of the United States.

Biden confirms 'Patriots' lost to Ukraine

Before the two met, Zelensky presented Biden with a military cross badge from a Ukrainian front-line military officer, which he hoped to hand over to what he described as a "very brave president" Biden.

Biden also described Zelensky as a "great leader" and mentioned that he is also ("Time Magazine") "Person of the Year" in the United States.

At the press conference after the meeting, Biden reiterated that "Putin has no intention of ending this brutal war" and "the United States is committed to ensuring that the brave Ukrainians can continue to defend their homeland from Russian aggression, no matter how long it takes"— — This is of course the sentence that Zelensky most wants to hear.

On December 21, in Washington, USA, Zelensky attended a press conference after talks with Biden.

Biden pointed out that he understands Ukraine's desire for peace, but Russia has no intention of truce, and the United States will continue to stand on Ukraine's side.

(Associated Press)

Biden's words continue to be supported by practical actions for the time being.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of Zelensky's visit, Biden announced a new round of military aid worth US$1.85 billion with him, the most notable of which is the Patriot missile defense system that the United States has been unwilling to provide. .

Although there is only one set, and Ukrainian military personnel have to undergo a period of training before using it, this will be the first set of air defense equipment capable of intercepting ballistic missiles that the West has provided to Ukrainian military so far. It will help hinder Russia's further energy infrastructure in the future. attack.

At the same time, the US$1.7 trillion spending bill that is expected to pass Congress also includes about US$45 billion in aid to Ukraine, bringing the total US aid to Ukraine since the start of the war to the US$100 billion mark.

Although Biden's aid to Ukraine has always been cautious, and he has not been willing to provide ATACMS missiles with a range of 300 kilometers, lest Ukraine use them to attack targets in Russia and worsen the war situation, but his Democratic Party's support for Ukraine is generally firm.

What is likely to be shaken is Congress, especially the House of Representatives after January next year, which will fall into the hands of Republicans, who have always been more inclined to question the value of aid to Ukraine.

Bipartisan support in Congress remains

Therefore, this time Zelensky's trip to the United States, the cordial conversation with Biden is just a diplomatic courtesy, and the focus is on his speech to both houses of Congress.

Zelensky's congressional speech was aimed at all Americans, emphasizing that the fight for Ukraine is the fight for freedom, and it does not mean that he is biased towards any party in the United States.

Responding specifically to Republicans' concerns about inadequate oversight of the use of aid to Ukraine, Zelensky said U.S. money "is not a charitable donation, but an investment in global security and democracy, and we spend it in the most responsible way possible." ".

He also called on the lawmakers present to help ensure that American leadership continues to span both houses of Congress and the two parties in the United States.

Without naming China, Zelensky also said a victory for Ukraine would prove to "any potential aggressor" that "no one can ... dominate another against his will".

On December 21, in Washington, USA, Zelensky delivered a speech to the US Congress and brought the Ukrainian flag signed by front-line soldiers.

(Associated Press)

Judging from the attitude of Republican congressmen, support for Ukraine is still the mainstream opinion.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said "the most important thing in the world is to defeat the Russians in Ukraine".

Kevin McCarthy (Kevin McCarthy), the Republican leader of the House of Representatives who is facing pressure from the extreme right in the party and who is likely to become the speaker in the future, also attended to listen to Zelensky's speech in person and stood and clapped with other lawmakers.

Some Republican congressmen who had previously voted against funding for Ukraine were also present. The only well-known absentee was Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican congressman from Georgia who once supported the QAnon conspiracy theory.

According to a poll conducted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a non-partisan think tank, in mid-to-late November, the United States still has an overwhelming majority of public opinion in favor of continuing the campaign on four levels: military, economic, refugee acceptance, and sanctions against Russia. Aid Ukraine, its support reached 65%, 66%, 73% and 75% respectively.

Four in 10 people support the U.S. to support Ukraine indefinitely at the current level, and another 27% believe that the U.S. should intervene militarily to give Ukraine an advantage and end the war as soon as possible.

However, the opinion that the United States should promote peace in Ukraine as soon as possible also rose to 47% from 38% in July.

On the basis of such public opinion, Washington's bipartisan consensus on aiding Ukraine is still relatively stable, even if it has weakened a bit compared to the past.

Of course, Zelensky also knows that long-term dependence on others always has its risks.

In his congressional speech, he indirectly set a deadline for this war: "Next year will be a turning point." Judging from the aid funds to be passed by the Congress and the overall willingness of the Congress to aid Ukraine, no matter how much support A year is probably out of question.

On the other hand, the European Union also passed 18 billion euros in aid to Ukraine last week, which shows that the European Union has also boarded the train for this long-term battle.

On December 21, in Washington, U.S., Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the White House and was greeted by U.S. President Joe Biden.

(Associated Press)

Putin continues long-term commitment to Ukraine war

Coincidentally, Biden and Zelensky are not the only ones looking forward to a long-term battle before the New Year.

On the same day as Zelensky's visit to the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin also chaired the annual meeting of the top defense ministry.

During the period, Putin stated that the government did not have any "funding" restrictions on the military, and declared that "the country, the government, will give the military everything it asks for."

At the same time, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also proposed various military expansion proposals, including the re-establishment of the Moscow and Leningrad military districts, the establishment of various new regiments, the increase of the number of Russian troops to 1.5 million, and the increase of the age range for conscription, etc. .

These changes all show that Putin's "special military operations" are further developing in the direction of a formal war.

Recently, Putin himself has increasingly appeared to be "personally directing" the war in Ukraine.

Last Friday (December 17), he made a rare visit to the command center for combating Ukraine at an undisclosed location.

On December 20, Putin ordered the security agencies to stop the activities of foreign special operations personnel. Later, at a ceremony, he praised the pro-Russian leaders who had invested in the four Russian states, as well as the militant opinion leaders in Russia.

On the same day as Zelensky's visit to the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin also chaired the annual meeting of the top defense ministry.

(Reuters)

Although Putin has admitted many times recently that the situation in the Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine is "extremely difficult" and that there have been some problems in the implementation of some domestic mobilization orders, he will obviously continue to insist on it. He only asks the Ministry of Defense to consider civil criticism more and Respond quickly.

Earlier this month, Putin said the fight in Ukraine would be a "long process".

After realizing that he could not win a quick battle on the Ukrainian battlefield, Putin's "general move" was to bet with the West on who could persist for a long time.

After Zelensky's visit to the United States this time, the United States and even Europe are obviously prepared to persist for at least one more year.

Therefore, for the foreseeable future, this war will be a contest of resilience between the West and Putin.

Today's wars, especially wars with a nuclear power, will eventually end at the negotiating table.

The ideal operation of Western countries and Ukraine is to keep pushing Putin forward and let Ukraine advance slowly, making Putin worry that his strongholds in eastern Ukraine and even Crimea are in danger of falling, so he has to actively seek peace.

So far, for Putin who is at a disadvantage on the battlefield, it is possible for Ukraine to formally hand over Crimea and other places in exchange for the possibility of a more solid security guarantee.

These are actually the trends of the recent Russia-Ukraine war. Zelensky's trip to the United States only made the outside world see the development of this situation more clearly.

[International Video] Zelensky visited the United States, met with Biden, and gave a speech to Congress. Russia responded: Talk about helplessness and peace. No compromise with territorial integrity Biden meets Zelensky: Putin has no intention of ending the war and the United States will support Ukraine to the end

Source: hk1

All news articles on 2022-12-22

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