As the war between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East intensifies, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has been resisting Russian invasion for over 20 months, is in trouble. This is because the West, including the United States, which has supported Israel following Ukraine, is showing fatigue over the prolongation of the war and is suggesting the need for peace negotiations. There is also pressure to hold a presidential election next year.
On the 4th, the U.S. NBC broadcast cited a senior official in the Joe Biden administration and reported that the United States and the European Union (EU) have begun discussing Ukraine’s concessions for peace negotiations that will end the war in Ukraine. However, a Biden administration official said, “Currently, we have not had any dialogue with Ukraine regarding (peace) negotiations,” he emphasized. Previously, on the 3rd, the U.S. government announced additional military support for Ukraine worth $425 million (about 560 billion won).
At a press conference after meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kiev, Ukraine, on the 4th, President Zelensky said, “None of our partners (the United States and the West) have pressured Russia to talk and give anything,” the British daily reported. The Guardian reported. President Zelensky continued, “Time has passed (after the Russian invasion) and people are tired, but this is not a stalemate.”
However, there is an analysis that the report itself to the effect that the United States and the West are considering peace negotiations will exert considerable pressure on Ukraine, which has not achieved any significant results on the front line since launching a major counteroffensive in June of this year.
Valery Zaluzny, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said in a recent interview with the British weekly The Economist, “The war is now moving to the stage of positional warfare, where fighting is static and wasteful.”
The Middle East war is also bad news for Ukraine. At a press conference on the 4th, President Zelensky said, “This war is taking (the world’s) attention away from Ukraine,” and pointed out, “This is Russia’s goal.”
Meanwhile, the West’s pressure to hold the Ukrainian presidential election scheduled for March 31 next year is also becoming a burden. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hinted at the possibility of a postponement at a briefing on the 3rd, saying, “President Zelenskyy is considering all the pros and cons of suspending the presidential election next spring.” It is pointed out that in order for Ukraine to hold a presidential election, it must lift martial law and revise related laws, which could lead to fatal internal conflict or division for a country at war. In particular, concerns are raised that Russia may intervene in the election by launching missile attacks on polling places or using psychological warfare.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.