The war in Ukraine will last a long time and the priority is “to ensure that the country receives sufficient international support for the next year.” These are the words expressed by its President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday. The biggest threat to Ukraine’s interests, besides the Russian troops occupying its territory, is the Republican Party’s legislative blockade that prevents the United States from maintaining its pace of military aid. Zelensky held two meetings this Monday in Kiev, understood in this context: one with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and one with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. the other with Fox network president Lachlan Murdoch.
Ukrainian media highlighted Zelensky’s meeting with Murdoch over Austin. Fox’s influence as a reference medium for Republican Party voters is crucial, and so far it has maintained an editorial position close to critics of economic aid to Kyiv who see it as a waste of money. Chief among them is former President Donald Trump. “For some reason people imagine that war is like a movie and that there are no long pauses and that there are surprises every day. But no, this will not end as quickly as we wanted,” the Ukrainian president said. According to the presidential office, Zelensky also explained to Fox representatives his peace plan, which includes the return of all territories illegally annexed by Russia. Prominent Republican Party voices on Fox argue that Ukraine will inevitably have to cede some of its provinces to Moscow.
The Ukrainian presidency has given Murdoch’s visit the same importance it gives to major heads of state. Before meeting Zelensky, the Fox delegation met with the president’s right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, and took part in a briefing on the situation of the conflict in the presence of senior military commanders, the most prominent of which was the commander of the Russian army. Earth, Oleksandr Sirskii. Zelensky also presented a medal of merit to Fox journalist Benjamin Hall, who lost a leg in a Russian attack in March 2022.
Coinciding with Murdoch’s trip, the US Secretary of Defense made a surprise visit to Kiev along with the commander of the US Army in Europe, Christopher Cavoli. Both discussed the situation on the front line and the status of the Pentagon’s supplies to the Ukrainian armed forces with the political and military leadership of Ukraine. The amount of 60 billion dollars that US President Joe Biden wants to allocate to Kiev is frozen due to the blockade imposed by the Republican Party in Congress and the Senate.
Time is running out against Ukraine, as the Pentagon warned on November 10 that it had already used 95% of the $62 billion previously approved to support Ukrainian troops. The arsenals of Ukraine’s NATO allies are already at a minimum level, and the head of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zaluzhni, admitted in early November that he does not expect the situation regarding ammunition supplies to improve for at least a year becomes; making it “very unlikely” that there will be major progress on the front in 2024.
“The message I bring to you, Mr. President, is that the United States is with you. We will be with you for the long term,” Austin told Zelensky. These words were widely highlighted by the Ukrainian media because they contrast with what has often been said from the White House, starting with President Biden himself: “We will be with you as long as it is necessary.”
Join EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without restrictions.
Subscribe to
To the Republicans’ critical position on the “blank check” for Kiev, as defined in writing by prominent conservative congressmen, we must add that the United States prioritizes military support to Israel in its invasion of Gaza and the strengthening of its military presence in the East . Half. Zelensky acknowledged last week that the crisis in Gaza is significantly affecting the pace of military deliveries to Ukraine, particularly artillery ammunition.
Dismissals of high-ranking officials
On the eve of Austin and Murdoch’s visit, Zelensky announced that he was firing the commander of the Ukrainian army’s medical forces, Tetiana Ostashenko. In recent months, Ostashenko has particularly criticized the poor preparation of health care for troops in combat operations and the poor quality of the equipment. When justifying his replacement, Zelensky referred to both problems. Ukraine has had to face an army that has increased almost fivefold in strength in a year and deployed medical units in record time on a 1,800-kilometer-long war front, the likes of which have not been seen in Europe since World War II.
In addition to Ostashenko’s dismissal, the Council of Ministers dismissed the two main commanders of the Ukrainian cyber espionage service this Monday. Yurii Shchihol and Viktor Zhora are being investigated by the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office because they allegedly favored a group of companies between 2020 and 2022 and purchased their computer programs in exchange for bribes worth 1.5 million euros. Both the US government and the European Commission are calling on Kiev to make sweeping reforms against the endemic corruption that continues to plague Ukraine.
Follow all international information on Facebook and Xor in our weekly newsletter.
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits
_