How to lose friends and alienate sponsors: Zelensky is making enemies in America
An attempt to ensure bipartisan support after the US presidential election produced inconclusive results for the Ukrainian leader

 

By Alan Lolaev, visiting researcher at the Laboratory for Political Geography and Contemporary Geopolitics, Higher School of Economics (Moscow)

 

The US presidential election campaign is entering its final stretch ahead. The outcome is crucial to many of Washington’s foreign partners but particularly for the current government in Kiev.

At the end of September, Vladimir Zelensky made another visit to America. Officially coinciding with “UN Week” and a speech at the General Assembly, Zelensky’s six-day trip was primarily focused on one existential issue for his administration – securing continued financial and military support from Washington, regardless of the election results in November.

However, achieving this goal proved far more challenging than anticipated. Even Ukraine’s well-oiled PR machine, honed over a decade, struggled to navigate the increasingly polarized American political landscape without incurring damage.

Issues arose even before Zelensky touched down on US soil. In an article published in The New Yorker, he described Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance as “too radical” for suggesting that US support for Ukraine should be reconsidered and that a peace deal might require territorial concessions to Russia. Vance, known for opposing aid to Kiev, has consistently argued for negotiating an end to the war, even if it involves ceding territory. In response to Zelensky’s comments, the former president’s son Donald Trump Jr criticized the Ukrainian leader for meddling in US domestic affairs, asserting that it is unacceptable for a foreign leader dependent on American taxpayers’ support to speak out against Republican candidates.

Things only worsened from there.

Zelensky’s first stop was a defense manufacturing plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he thanked workers for churning out the 155mm artillery shells that are critical to Ukraine’s military. The facility had significantly increased production over the past year, shipping over three million shells to Ukraine. Throughout the visit, Zelensky was heavily protected, with law enforcement patrolling the area.

His trip to Pennsylvania, accompanied by the state’s Democratic governor, led to a backlash from Republicans. Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri, a Trump supporter, remarked that Zelensky’s visit appeared to be a campaign event for Democrats in a key battleground state ahead of the presidential election. Sean Parnell, a former Senate candidate from Pennsylvania and also a Trump supporter, labeled Zelensky’s visit as “foreign interference in our election,” citing the visitor’s criticism of Vance, as well as his closeness to Democrats. 

The Republican Majority Leader in the House Mike Johnson went even further, refusing to meet with Zelensky and demanding that he dismiss his ambassador in Washington for organizing a visit to Pennsylvania without Republican participation. Johnson characterized the event as “an obvious partisan effort to assist Democrats before the election.”

Following this rocky start, Zelensky found himself with one last chance to salvage his image among conservative audiences – a face-to-face meeting with Trump.

Negotiating this encounter proved to be extremely difficult, with the Republican occasionally agreeing, then backing off again. In the end, the conversation that extended Zelensky’s stay by an extra day finally took place.

During the meeting, Trump expressed his willingness to work toward ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, aiming for a “fair settlement for both sides.” He emphasized that Ukraine has “been through hell.” He also voiced his support for maintaining good relations not only with Zelensky but also with Russian President Vladimir Putin, believing this could facilitate finding common ground. However, when reporters pressed him to clarify what he considered a fair outcome, he suggested it was too early to define, as the conflict remains a complex “puzzle.”

Zelensky, for his part, expressed hope for ongoing positive relations with Trump and stressed that Ukraine must prevail. He acknowledged the importance of the upcoming US presidential election and voiced his hope that America would maintain its strength and support for Ukraine, regardless of the election results.

After the meeting, Trump spoke with Fox News, reiterating that his stance hadn’t changed: he believes both sides desire an end to the war and a fair resolution. Yet, he once again sidestepped questions about what that fair outcome might entail.

With the Democrats, Zelensky found himself with little to present as a victory either. His meeting with party leaders amounted to routine reassurances of support for Ukraine and its aspirations to join the EU and NATO, coupled with the announcement of yet another aid package.

Not not was there no clear win, there was even a setback: the White House publicly denied Kiev the use of American weapons for strikes deep into Russian territory and dismissed Zelensky’s Victory Plan as “a set of different initiatives.”

Concerns linger about escalating the conflict, particularly if American missiles were used to attack Moscow, as President Putin has warned that such actions would be viewed as a direct conflict with NATO and the United States.

***

The US remains Ukraine’s largest donor, contributing over $56 billion of the $106 billion raised by NATO and allied countries to bolster its defense.

A possible victory by Kamala Harris, who could continue Biden’s policies, raises concerns among Ukrainian leaders, as they view the current US approach as overly cautious and indecisive regarding Russia. Conversely, a Trump victory – despite the uncertainty surrounding his position – offers a glimmer of hope for decisive changes. Ukrainian officials are optimistic that Trump, unlike Harris, may take bold steps that could lead to an end to the war, although they recognize that his actions might also risk diminishing Western support for Ukraine.

In Kiev, officials remain hopeful that Trump’s stance could evolve, and they continue to foster relationships with his team. Zelensky has acknowledged that persuading him of the necessity to support Ukraine will be challenging, but he believes it’s essential, as the future of the country heavily depends on decisions made in Washington post-election.

Zelensky noted that during their phone conversations, Trump conveyed his support for Ukraine. However, there remains no clarity about how he would act if he returns to the presidency. The Ukrainian leader expressed skepticism that the ex-president has a concrete plan to end the war, despite his assurances to the contrary.

Analysts point out that while Zelensky’s visit might be seen as politically motivated, its primary aim was to emphasize to Americans the necessity of backing Ukraine in its struggle against Russia, regardless of the outcome of the upcoming elections. However, his thoughtless remarks and actions ended up having the opposite effect.

https://www.rt.com/news/605530-zelenskys-fall-between-two-stools/

 

MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT HITS THE FAN:

 

 

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

THESE WILL ALSO INCLUDE ODESSA, KHERSON AND KHARKIV.....

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

TRANSNISTRIA WILL BE PART OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

 

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THE WEST KNOWS IT.

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

Ostrovskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic have been liberated," the ministry stated.

The battlegroup's troops also hit personnel and equipment of five different Ukrainian mechanized brigades, one motorized infantry brigade, two infantry brigades, one assault brigade, one mountain assault brigade, one air assault brigade, two airmobile brigades, a territorial defense brigade and two brigades of the National Guard.

They also repelled 22 counterattacks by Ukrainian assault units.

The enemy's losses for the week included:

 

up to 4,790 military personnel

 

four armored fighting vehicles

 

fifty-three motor vehicles

 

forty-five pieces of field artillery, including 37 of Western production

In addition, five electronic warfare stations and ten field ammunition depots were destroyed.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241011/russian-forces-liberate-ostrovskoye-in-the-donetsk-peoples-republic-1120512132.html

 

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Don’t Play with Matches: US, NATO and Israel are bringing about a ‘Fahrenheit 451’ Realization!    BY Seth Ferris

 

As you get a bit older, you will realize that things are not as what you once believed, at least for some of us, and then question why you were so naïve to think so at one point in your life.

This is especially true for people who are beginning to open their eyes to the need for people to distance themselves from the US, NATO and Israel, as they don’t act or stand up for what they pretend to serve and/or to stand for. Pretty much it is like how it was rumoured that ‘firemen used to put out fires and not start them’, like in Fahrenheit 451.

Taking a harder look!

For humanity to survive, more and more people need to take a hard look and be more critical of modern geopolitical dynamics, particularly the roles played by the U.S., Israel, and NATO. Nations, especially fledgling nation states, should start distancing themselves from these entities, as they are now engaging in actions contrary to their proclaimed original purposes.

Along with children in Gaza, the United Nations system is also dying, the truth is dying, the values…Erdoğan

Specifically, take NATO’s stated mission—historically to maintain peace and security—and contrast  this with its more recent involvement in numerous conflicts, which the discerning person can only view as promoting war rather than peace. It is like the reference to previously given from Fahrenheit 451 which reinforces this perspective. In Ray Bradbury’s novel, there is a dystopian reversal of roles, where firemen, who were once responsible for extinguishing fires, now start them by burning books.

This metaphor suggests that institutions, like NATO, may have strayed from their original, mutual defence and peacekeeping purposes and are now engaged in activities contrary to their founding missions, such as destabilization, war, and blatant aggression. It is even dangerous these days to discuss such topics openly, given the ‘modern social media’ and so-called free expression environment, whereby dissenting or controversial political opinions can sometimes invite scrutiny with implications for one’s career and personal life. Even the UN is not living up to its billings, mostly due to the veto power of the US over anything that could bring about some semblance of stability in the world.

At least for those who want to dig deeper, and can turn to alternative media, which is still possible, there are some voices in the wilderness that can open your eyes as to what is going on with NATO and the current state of world affairs.   For instance, Dr. Gabrielle Krone-Schmalz, a German intellectual and former journalist, recently gave a highly informative talk at the “37. Pleisweiler Gespräch”.

Dr. Krone-Schmalz used to work as a Moscow-correspondent for Germany’s largest public broadcaster, ARD, and was also a Professor for Media Science, and has emerged as one of the fiercest critics of Germany’s foolish policies vis-à-vis Russia.

She is one of the people who can and does publicly lecture on the true origins of the ongoing warfare in Europe. She and a few others are demonstrating that some Europeans and Americans are actually aware and do actually know what is going on and just ”how reckless the current political and media elite are.”

Don’t play with matches! 

As the NYT recently reported, “World leaders face global turmoil at the U.N”  describing how World Leaders face difficult times and challenges during the 79th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. Calls to end the Middle East conflict and wars in Ukraine and Sudan were expected to dominate the weeklong conference, all goals that still look completely out of reach.

In keeping with the Fahrenheit 451 metaphor, António Guterres, the secretary general, said in his opening remarks that “a powder keg risks engulfing the world.” This is now only too obvious with the wholesale attack on Lebanon by Israel, out of the purported need for defence, or deflection from the Israeli failure to destroy Hamas in Gaza, and also how much of the Israeli border region with Lebanon has been depopulated due to Hezbollah making these regions unsafe to live for Israeli settlers, as a direct result of the ongoing genocide of Palestinians, which may soon be extended to the West Bank and beyond.

And now, escalating cross-border volleys of missiles fired by Israel and by Hezbollah in Lebanon have raised the threat of a multi-front war in the Middle East. All the while, so attention and resources, war materials and funding, are not diverted – and not to change course, Biden has backed Israel to the full, with unconditional support.  Which is only natural for the one-time president who is as desperate, perhaps even more so, than other leaders to save their own hides at the price of innocent blood and massive destruction and widespread destabilization.

Moreover, it is no coincidence that Benjamín Netanyahu, the Israeli PM, who likes to use colourful posters and depictions of short fuses of bombs ready to explode as a ploy. He uses such scare tactics to prolong his own political future (perhaps survival) as the situation delays criminal prosecution for an range of crimes. Justice is still being held in abeyance while the conflagration continues and the rate of escalation increases on many fronts and spins out of control.

Threat of worse to come

With all that is happening, and the threat of worse to come, it would be easy to forget that Israel is also facing a genocide case brought by South Africa—which the Zionist lobby and US politicians would like to see disappear, as they know only too well who butters their bread.

These conflicts are an only too convenient distraction from the fact that US politicians are being bankrolled by outsiders at the expense of world peace and security.

South Africans have an absolute advantage is understanding what is going on, with president Ramaphosa reminding the world community at the UN how Israel’s attacks on the Palestinian people were “a grim continuation of more than half a century of apartheid.”

“We know what apartheid looks like,” said. “We lived through apartheid. We suffered and died under apartheid. We will not remain silent and watch as apartheid is perpetrated against others.”

The rest of the world knows too, or should, that what enable for countries to get away with such violations and trash the much-touted ‘rules based international order’, with NATO expansion by destabilization and coups, and not only in the case of Ukraine in 2014, is the fact that the “rules-based order” is a sham, the rules change depending on what the US and its European partners find convenient, such as the constant, and incredibly hypocritical, claims of “disinformation” and “election interference” that the countries of NATO fling at any alternative viewpoint.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

The US State Department, USAID, and many others are complicit in many crimes and disinformation by manipulating the truth as to how “Israel Deliberately Blocked Humanitarian Aid to Gaza”, based on the conclusion of two governmental entities. Such revelations should come as no surprise given that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is involved in covering up such violations of basic standards of decency, notwithstanding international law, and spewing blatant lies is his forte.

Apparently, based on media coverage, both USAID and the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration produced two separate reports this past spring concluding that Israel was deliberately blocking much-needed humanitarian aid from Palestinian civilians in Gaza, which under US law should have led to the suspension of US weapons supplies.

However, Blinken dismissed these findings, as did the rest of the headless cohort known as the Biden administration and its spin doctors, who understand that the Wars of Choice must go on, for now and for as long as necessary for financial gain and political expediency.

The unabated manipulation of truth by western governments, especially the U.S. and Israel, to maintain political power and prolong ongoing and avoidable conflicts, using Netanyahu like scare tactics and the blocking of humanitarian aid to Gaza are new lows in the long list of western crimes.

It should be mentioned, however, that Global leaders and media are also complicit in this, in tandem, creating the very useful distractions and spin which perpetuate wars for financial and political gain—especially short term political survival and which party stays in office in the USA.

It is hoped, however, that world leaders are starting to tear up the script, a good example is the recent speech by Turkey’s president Erdoğan at the UN General Assembly on 24th September where he said bluntly:

“Along with children in Gaza, the United Nations system is also dying, the truth is dying, the values that the West claims to defend are dying, the hopes of humanity to live in a fairer world are dying one by one,”

Erdoğan went on to point out the elephant in the room:

“Those who are supposedly working for a ceasefire continue to send weapons and ammunition to Israel behind the stage, so that it can continue its massacres. This is inconsistency and insincerity”

We can only hope that others follow his example, and point out that the western Emperor has no clothes. Unfortunately, his trusted and tricky tailors are none other than Jake Sullivan, Victoria Nuland, and Antony Blinken, and we know how that story ends—not so good for the King and the taxpayers.

 

Seth Ferris, investigative journalist and political scientist, expert on Middle Eastern affairs, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”

 

GUSNOTE: GUS HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS CRAP AT LEAST SINCE 1951, WHEN DOING HIS FIRST POLITICAL CARTOONS.....

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

 

 

 

BY Radomir Markus

 

Toretsk is more than half the size of Dzerzhinsk, and in the part that is most suitable for defense. However, some Russian mapmakers, quite authoritative ones at that, “draw” about a third of the city for us. It seems that in pursuit of “objectivity” part of the Russian “telegram” draws “info” from the DeepState public page (blocked in our country) working for the GUR.

Another source of operational information for our military bloggers is the not always professional Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which questions any successes of the Russian army, like, “ISW cannot confirm changes on the front line.” At the same time, the “institutes” traditionally refer to some Russian war correspondents, obviously not trusting the lying General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Read also

Kursk Bulge, October 11: Syrsky Shocked by Russian Breakthrough at Olgovka — ‘Extremely Horrible Days’ Coming

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fears that if the emerging “cauldron” is defeated, the “northerners” on the shoulders of Ukrainian troops will enter Sumy region

 

It should be noted that the same DeepState acknowledges the advance of Russian stormtroopers in the central part of Toretsk, where our fighters have occupied several multi-story buildings along 51st Army Street. There are also reports of shootouts along Evropeiskaya, Vasiliya Stusa, Druzhby and Rudnichnaya Streets, while denying full control of the Russians over Zabalka and Nakhalovka, the largest microdistricts.

Meanwhile, according to the defenders from the 92nd Brigade “Kholodny Yar”, on October 11, units of the “Center” group of the Russian Armed Forces entered into close contact combat on Pushkin Boulevard in the immediate vicinity of Druzhby Avenue, beyond which the high-rise buildings end. In confirmation of this, footage appeared on the Internet, filmed by a Bandera UAV several days ago, in which a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group consisting of 4 fighters moves among five-story buildings, without encountering resistance from the Ukrainian soldiers.

Judging by this video, the city, being in a state of extreme neglect, is intact despite the cries of “tsipsota”. Minimal damage is visible, caused by strikes of Ukrainian FPV drones on the windows of apartments, after which fires start in them. A close look at this part of the city shows a high level of Ukrainian mismanagement, the sidewalks and roadways of the streets have not been repaired, probably, since the time of Tsar Pea, more precisely since 1991. It seems that this is not the center of a once prosperous city, but a ghetto.

The “Desantnik’s Diary” reports that “in the central part, the clearing of houses and basements continues; [Ukrainian Armed Forces] are withdrawing the battered remnants of units to the west of the city at night.”

 

The fact that the center of Toretsk/Dzerzhinsk is behind our fighters is supported by the fact that the control of the Russian Armed Forces has expanded to the ash dumps of the Central mine, and by 1.5 km at once. The waste heaps of this coal mining enterprise, although indicated as a gray zone, are unlikely to contain Banderites. They were subjected to the most powerful FABization on previously identified targets, including Ukrainian UAV control points.

The strike UAV unit of the 1st assault battalion of the 92nd separate assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, fighting in the Chasovoyarsk and Toretsk joint directions, announced an urgent recruitment for aerial reconnaissance, although it had previously boasted of a surplus of drone operators. And now, according to the commander of the “ptakh”, “there is a catastrophic shortage of smart people.” He said that next to him there is a person who has been in the Ukrainian troops since 2014, and this is “a very good sign”, since there is nothing like this in other branches of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

From the blah-blah-blah of the drone-pilot recruit, one can understand that it is possible to survive in unmanned groups if you study a lot and run quickly over long distances, changing positions. Judging by this, one can conclude that our reconnaissance, together with aviation and artillery, have seriously taken on enemy UAV calculations.

Another Ukrainian truth-teller from the 79th Air Assault Brigade “Mykolaiv” – the administrator of the brigade’s official website, having called his comrades, gave an interesting sad story: “The situation in Toretsk is very frightening. It is not clear why, but the Russians there are quickly taking control of the city’s buildings. Let me remind you that before the operation there were about 40 thousand people there, today there may be up to several thousand there who have nowhere to go.”

 

Read also

Pokrovsky Front: Zelensky’s Cunning Plan Is Ruined by “Russian Waiters”

It has become clear when Selidovo and Kurakhovo will be liberated

 

According to him, the “catastrophe” is connected with the large support of local “Rusnya” for Russian assault groups, to whom the townspeople inform how to safely get to another house and where the defenders’ firing points are. “In the last month alone, there have been more than 30 cases of betrayal that have been uncovered. It feels like the city will fall quickly,” the Mykolaiv resident writes.

Independent expert Konstantin Mashovets shares the same point of view , saying, get ready to lose Toretsk. Even local Ukrainian officials share the same opinion. Thus, the Gauleiter of Toretsk, Vasily Chinchik , stated on October 10 (!) that Russian troops control up to 60% of the settlement, and that Russian troops are trying to quickly capture the city. He is echoed by the speaker of the Ukrainian “Luhansk” group of troops, Anastasia Bobovnikova , who belatedly admitted that the Russian Armed Forces have advanced in the area of ​​Tsentralnaya Street.

According to her, most of the Russian servicemen liberating Dzerzhinsk are contract soldiers of motorized rifle brigades, but in this area, airborne troops and special forces of the Russian Armed Forces are operating in especially important areas. “Russian troops first carry out artillery strikes on Ukrainian fortifications and buildings to deprive the Ukrainians of shelter and the ability to hide, and then look for weak spots in the Ukrainian defense and carry out attacks in small groups,” a Russian woman with a reprogrammed Bandera brain – the daughter of engineers who came here 40 years ago from the RSFSR – explained the essence of our stormtroopers’ success.

https://www.theinteldrop.org/2024/10/12/its-a-disaster-kyiv-prepares-for-toretsk-to-soon-become-dzerzhinsk-again/

 

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While the Ukrainian regime has long insisted that there can be no peace talks with Russia and that the country should be restored to its pre-2014 borders, officials in Kiev reportedly realise that stance is unrealistic.

Ukrainian leaders are starting to discuss giving up Ukraine’s former territories as part of a peace deal with Russia to an end.

One senior Ukrainian official conceded to a German magazine that any peace proposal must be advantageous for Russia for Moscow to take it seriously.

The un-named source also expressed concern that, no matter who wins the US presidential election next month, Washington will cut its previously-generous support to Ukraine.

The prospects of losing foreign military aid — which has prolonged the conflict until now — along with growing unrest in Ukrainian society may explain the shift from Kiev's previous position of refusing to negotiate with Russia while President Vladimir Putin remains in office, along with other maximalist demands.

But the magazine warned that there are still powerful figures in Ukraine who remain staunchly opposed to any peace talks.

Kiev’s insistence on joining NATO is a major obstacle to efforts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict through diplomacy. Russia insists that Ukraine must remain neutral and unaligned to any military bloc.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241012/reality-check-failing-ukraine-may-be-mulling-peace-talks-territorial-concessions-to-russia-1120525761.html

 

MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT HITS THE FAN:

 

 

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

THESE WILL ALSO INCLUDE ODESSA, KHERSON AND KHARKIV.....

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

TRANSNISTRIA WILL BE PART OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

 

EASY.

 

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

 

READ FROM TOP

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.