Just Politics; by Aaron Ng’ambi
It is the end of the road for Zelenskyy
THE fate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine is not only gloomy but a lesson in safe logic for all those who choose to be used as agents of war over peace. No one can argue with the fact that, the invasion of Ukraine by President Putin of the Russian Federation could have been avoided – if only Zelenskyy did not to listen to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his colleagues. It was this playboy and the most inconsequential UK’s Prime Minister that persuaded the leader of Ukraine to reject the peace deal offered by Russia just seven days after the invasion took place. President Zelenskyy walked away from the negotiating table, being cheered on by the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). This happened very early before the escalation of the conflict, which could have saved lives on both sides.
Since the 2007 Munich conference in Germany, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has kept warning the west, against NATO expansion eastward. Evidently, this is for a good reason because the presence of NATO troops at the doorstep of Russia, on the Ukrainian border signifies an existential threat to the very existence of Russia as a country. Therefore, when Putin issued warnings and concerns of such maneuvers by the US and the European allies, they thought he was bluffing and should not be taken seriously. In fact, after the cold war and the fall of the Soviet Union – the US promised Russia that NATO will not at any time expand eastward and that Ukraine will continue to remain a neutral country. Unfortunately, the Americans and the European allies have not lived up to this promise. If anything, they have attempted to row back the tide and install a puppet regime in Kyiv, for them to achieve their conquest agenda.
Arguably, the overthrow of President Viktor Yushchenko in 2014, of which according to Professor Jeffery Sachs was a coup d’état led by the US; marked the beginning of provocation against Russia. Simply because President Yushchenko was perceived by the west as a pro-Russian puppet. Therefore, a coup was orchestrated by the CIA which saw the Ukrainian President then fly to Russia, an extraordinary event which depicts exactly what Henry Kissinger warned both friends and foes of the US many years ago, when he said, “To be a friend of the United States is dangerous, but to be an enemy is fatal.” And this is the same lesson that Zelenskyy has come to learn for himself within a short space of time since the war began.
It is no longer a matter of dispute, that most Americans sees this war in Ukraine as an unnecessary and that it should not have happened in the first place. In fact, this is part of the reason why most people voted for Donald Trump, who publicly condemned the war and promised to bring it to a close as President. This is not a controversial decision, but a matter of doing what is in the best interest of the American people. For example, how has the US$200 billion, sent to Ukraine as military aid helped an average American at home? If America, under President Biden cared so much for the welfare of the people of Ukraine and wanted to find a solution to the conflict, why didn’t Biden resort to negotiations and diplomacy with Putin? Malcom X once said, “History is best qualified to reward all research.” And in this case, the Biden administration together with all their EU allies knew very well that military interventions do not end wars or conflicts, but rather conflicts are ended through a political and diplomatic settlement. The human cost of this war has been unbearable, with almost a million dead Ukrainians on one hand and hundreds of thousands of Russians on the other hand. Hence, it is time to put an end to this senseless war and begin a new chapter of diplomatic negotiations. Whatever people may think of President Trump, and whatever his motivations are to quickly stop the bleeding in Ukraine, one thing should be said of him – that he means well to end this war and save American taxpayers’ money. The same money that could have been used to provide shelter for the homeless people, feed the hungry, and improve health services at home.
In one of the most recent interviews with the western media, just fed days before his trip to Washington DC, President Zelenskyy claimed that he only received about US$77 billion out of the US$ 200 billion given as military aid to Ukraine. Thus, the American people need to know what happened to rest of the money. Can the Biden administration account for the difference? These are crucial questions that need to be answered, or else there is a risk of public trust being eroded when such revelations go unchallenged. As for President Zelenskyy, whose mandate expired a long time ago and Ukraine has not yet gone to the elections again due to the war, we can only offer him one piece of advice. Sir, this is the end of the road for you. Accept the reality before your eyes, do not make it harder for you and the people of Ukraine to have cordial relations between your country and Russia together with the US. To antagonize the two world superpowers in one way or the other is not a wise thing to do. Think of Ukraine, and the future of your country.
In retrospect, Zelenskyy should know now, that is if he genuinely did not know then – that this war was never about him and Putin, or Ukraine and Russia. This was nothing but a proxy war for the US and the EU against Russia. Therefore, for the current acting President of Ukraine to say that he is willing to give up his presidency for Ukraine’s membership in NATO, as if he is a life president of Ukraine is absurd. In fact, Trump has once referred to Zelenskyy as a dictator without elections, because the man has not been re-elected again after his mandate expired during the war, and the country is yet to go to the polls. However, the other demands by the US to have President Zelenskyy sign off all the rare minerals of Ukraine worth US$500 billion just because they provided military aid to his country is unreasonable. Perhaps, this should be a point of dialogue between the two countries in an attempt to find a compromise and not take it to social media. This is precisely the reason why President Zelenskyy came to the White House on February 28, 2025, to talk to President Trump in person over this deal. Sadly, this meeting quickly became a scene of a blame game, a heated debate and an exchange of unpleasant words which has now complicated the negotiation process. This act alone in full view of cameras is a clear signal for Ukraine to know beyond any doubt, that America under this administration is no longer going to send weapons or money to them. Even though Zelenskyy’s request for security guarantees from the US, for ensuring that Russia will uphold a cease fire deal if one is signed, is a legitimate concern – the Trump team at the White Houses did not show any interest to address this question. The meeting just degenerated into a diplomatic blunder, and a sorry sight for the President of Ukraine, as two of the most powerful men on the planet (the US president and his vice president JD Vance) ganged up on him. A man who was once a darling of the west, and paraded as a hero, and even named person of the year 2022 by Time Magazine – today left Washington DC very disappointed with his head buried in the sand.
In the final analysis, to some people Zelenskyy will forever remain a hero and patriot, while to others he was nothing but a blue-eyed boy of the west who willingly accepted to be used by them for a NATO expansionist agenda. Despite which side anyone takes, history will remember Zelenskyy as another casualty of America’s protracted list of world leaders who were used and dumped by the US.
Email; aaronngambi@yahoo.com
