Ukrainian president is seen by Americans as a mere “beggar” due to his constant demands of financial aid. Writes Lucas Leiroz
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington on December 21, making his first personal trip since the Russian special military operation began in February. The meeting between the neo-Nazi leader and his main sponsor focused on topics such as strategy, energy and military support. Western media applauded the event and praised the cooperation between Biden and Zelensky, however, among ordinary citizens in the US, there are more and more negative opinions about this partnership.
Days before Zelensky’s arrival in the American capital, local press discussed with some residents to find out how public opinion was assessing with the situation. On many occasions, severe criticism of the current management of the Ukrainian crisis has been made. In fact, Americans seem dissatisfied with the way Biden is handling his support for Kiev, while seeing Zelensky as a kind of “beggar asking for alms” – in the words of one of the interviewees.
For example, a citizen commented to the local media: “He (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky) figures it’s his last chance to score an extra $100 billion before Congress changes hands. You never know”. In the same vein, another person said: “The Times person of the year traveling all the way to another continent to ask for more US tax payer money during a recession and record high inflation”. Another citizen commented sarcastically that Zelensky would be “coming (to the US) to firm up his US citizenship”, adding: “Or perhaps to look over real estate in Beverly Hills or Martha’s Vineyard. Or both. With all the money we’ve sent him he can afford the best”.
Indeed, this dissatisfaction of the American people with Biden’s support of the Ukrainian neo-Nazi regime is nothing new. The billionaire packages of military aid to Kiev have generated anger in the population, as they point to a clear priority on the part of the Biden government in attending to foreign regimes, while the local population remains in increasingly worse economic conditions, especially with the current wave of inflation, which reached historical records – in addition to the several non-economic social problems, such as polarization, separatism and the intensification of political tensions. Clearly, the Ukrainian dictatorship is more in the interests of the American government than the well-being of the citizens themselves, which generates collective indignation.
However, this trip by Zelensky served to make the US government’s preference for the Ukrainian regime even clearer. At the joint conference, Biden announced yet another military aid package, valued at more than 1.85 billion dollars, which includes, among other weapons, the Patriot missile system. Zelensky also spoke on the occasion, thanking the American support and making it clear that there will be no peace agreement with the Russian Federation, showing that he is resolute in the unfeasible objective of expelling Moscow’s forces from all the territory he considers as “Ukrainian” – which includes the four oblasts recently integrated into Russia, as well as Crimea.
Obviously, there is no realistic chance that the Ukrainian plans will work. Kiev is partly neutralized militarily, as Russia constantly bombs the country’s energy infrastructure and cuts off some of the main supply lines. Neo-Nazi forces even try to react, but most of their attacks are limited to the cowardly act of bombing civilian and demilitarized areas in Donbass, with no real military gains being reported by Kiev in recent weeks.
In addition, recently, US military analysts have made clear their skepticism regarding the possibility of the Patriot missile system being some kind of “game-changer” in Ukraine, considering that Kiev already has similar weapons and they have proved to be ineffective. For example, US military expert David Pyne said: “I don’t believe that the addition of Patriot missile defense systems will have much effect on the course of the war given that Ukraine already has S-300 missiles with ranges of 40-75 kilometers”.
In other words, this new American package only reinforces Washington’s interest in indefinitely prolonging the conflict, instead of seeking a real pragmatic solution. If victory is not possible, the best thing to do is negotiate peace on favorable terms for both sides. Certainly, a peace agreement is the greatest desire of American and Ukrainian citizens, as well as Europeans, who directly suffer the consequences of the conflict. But neither Biden nor Zelensky nor EU politicians seem concerned about popular interests.
This is a truly unsustainable situation. At some point, American citizens will realize that Zelensky only acts as a “beggar” because the US government itself forces him to, as Biden uses Kiev as a proxy to fight Russia. Then, the popular anger that is now seen against a foreign president will be turned against Biden and his allies, generating even more domestic chaos in the US.
