{"id":55477,"date":"2024-05-21T15:25:04","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T15:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/21\/whats-the-problem-zelensky-challenges-west-over-hesitations\/"},"modified":"2024-05-21T15:25:04","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T15:25:04","slug":"whats-the-problem-zelensky-challenges-west-over-hesitations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/21\/whats-the-problem-zelensky-challenges-west-over-hesitations\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018What\u2019s the Problem?\u2019 Zelensky Challenges West Over Hesitations."},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/05\/21\/multimedia\/21-zelensky-pvhz-promo\/21-zelensky-pvhz-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\u2018What\u2019s the Problem?\u2019 Zelensky Challenges West Over Hesitations.\" title=\"\u2018What\u2019s the Problem?\u2019 Zelensky Challenges West Over Hesitations.\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">With his army struggling to fend off fierce Russian advances all across the front, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine urged the United States and Europe to do more to defend his nation, dismissing fears of nuclear escalation and proposing that NATO planes shoot down Russian missiles in Ukrainian airspace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Zelensky said he had also appealed to U.S. officials to allow Ukraine to fire American missiles and other weaponry at military targets inside Russia \u2014 a tactic the United States continues to oppose. The inability to do so, he insisted, gave Russia a \u201chuge advantage\u201d in cross-border warfare that it is exploiting with assaults in Ukraine\u2019s northeast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">His comments, made in an interview on Monday with The New York Times in central Kyiv, were among his most full-throated appeals yet to the United States and its NATO allies for more help. Over 50 minutes at the ornate House With Chimeras in the presidential offices, he spoke with a mix of frustration and bewilderment at the West\u2019s reluctance to take bolder steps to ensure that Ukraine prevails.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Zelensky has long lobbied the West, for more weapons in particular. But his pleas this week come at a critical time for Ukraine\u2019s war effort, with its army in retreat and a new package of American arms yet to arrive in sufficient quantities. Not since the early days of the war has Ukraine faced as grave a military challenge, analysts say.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It\u2019s also a pivotal time in Ukrainian politics. Mr. Zelensky spoke on the last day of his five-year presidential term. Elections scheduled for March were suspended because of the war, and he will remain president under martial law powers, with his tenure potentially stretching as long as the war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In the wide-ranging interview, Mr. Zelensky, 46, discussed the wrenching sadness of visiting mass graves and consoling the families of dead soldiers, but also his own personal journey, and the \u201crecharge\u201d he gets from the little time he has to spend with his children. He said he would like to read more but falls asleep too quickly at night to get far.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He was most animated as he ticked off a checklist of actions he believed his allies should take to support Ukraine. He argued that NATO should shoot down Russian missiles in flight over Ukraine \u2014 without planes crossing into Ukrainian airspace \u2014 saying that would be a purely defensive tactic and pose no risk of direct combat with Russian forces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cSo my question is, what\u2019s the problem? Why can\u2019t we shoot them down? Is it defense? Yes. Is it an attack on Russia? No. Are you shooting down Russian planes and killing Russian pilots? No. So what\u2019s the issue with involving NATO countries in the war? There is no such issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cShoot down what\u2019s in the sky over Ukraine,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd give us the weapons to use against Russian forces on the borders.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That kind of direct NATO involvement, which analysts say could provoke Russia to retaliate, has been resisted in Western capitals. But Mr. Zelensky drew a comparison to how the United States and Britain <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/ukraine-backers-israel-double-standard-united-states-iran-attack-united-kingdom-france-russia\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">helped Israel shoot down a barrage of drones and missiles<\/a> from Iran last month. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis is what we saw in Israel,\u201d Mr. Zelensky said. \u201cNot even on such a large scale.\u201d The White House response to the comparison then was, \u201c<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pravda.com.ua\/eng\/news\/2024\/04\/16\/7451397\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Different conflicts, different airspace, different threat picture.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Zelensky also urged the alliance to come through with more F-16 fighter jets as well as Patriot air defense systems.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cCan we get seven?\u201d he said, saying Ukraine needed more Patriot systems but would settle for that number to protect regions key to the nation\u2019s economy and energy sector. He suggested a decision might be reached when NATO leaders gathered for a summit in Washington in July.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cDo you think it is too much for the NATO anniversary summit in Washington?\u201d he asked. \u201cFor a country that is fighting for freedom and democracy around the world today?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Asked about potential cease-fire negotiations, he called for diplomacy that avoids direct talks with Russia but rallies nations behind Ukraine\u2019s positions for an eventual peace settlement. It would begin with plans to secure Ukrainian food exports to developing nations, prisoner exchanges, measures to secure a Russian-occupied nuclear power station in Ukraine\u2019s south and returning Ukrainian children whom he said were abducted and taken to Russia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He said he hoped dozens of nations would get behind such an initiative when they gathered at a \u201cpeace summit\u201d in mid-June in Switzerland. And he pressed again for a plan for Ukraine to join NATO.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He also welcomed recent suggestions by some allies that NATO send troops to train or support Ukrainian forces in Ukraine, though he added, \u201cI don\u2019t see it, except in words.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">More immediately, he said the ability to use Western-provided weapons to strike at military targets inside Russia was essential for Ukraine\u2019s success.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Only by using these weapons to destroy logistical hubs in Russia and Russian planes in Russian territory, he said, could Ukraine effectively defend itself from the recent assault in the northeast which threatens Kharkiv, Ukraine\u2019s second-largest city.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHow do we respond when they strike our cities?\u201d he said, noting that Ukraine could see Russian forces massing across the border before they attacked but was powerless to strike them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThey proceed calmly,\u201d he added, \u201cunderstanding that our partners do not give us permission\u201d to use their weapons to retaliate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The West\u2019s primary reason for hesitating \u2014 fear of nuclear escalation \u2014 was overblown, Mr. Zelensky said, because President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia would refrain from using nuclear weapons out of a sense of self-preservation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHe may be irrational, but he loves his own life,\u201d Mr. Zelensky said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He also suggested that there was another reason for the West\u2019s hesitation: Some countries were seeking to retain trade and diplomatic ties with Russia. \u201cEveryone keeps the door slightly ajar,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It\u2019s been a tumultuous run for Mr. Zelensky. He was elected in 2019 on a platform of negotiating peace with Russia, which his critics said was na\u00efve. He also pledged to crack down on corruption and promised to serve only one five-year term.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A television personality before becoming president, Mr. Zelensky, alternates between diplomacy to drum up support for Ukraine and exhortations to his soldiers and civilians in the face of deteriorating military prospects. He said has little time to see his son and daughter, 11 and 19, but called spending time with them his \u201chappiest moments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cFor example, I ask my son what\u2019s happening,\u201d he said. \u201cHe says they\u2019re starting to learn Spanish. I\u2019m interested in that. I don\u2019t know Spanish, but honestly, I\u2019m only interested in the time I can spend with him, no matter what he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThese are the moments that recharge you, give you energy. These are the happiest moments. That\u2019s when I can relax.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He said he also recharges by working out in the mornings, and tries at night to read. \u201cI\u2019ll be honest, any kind of fiction, I read at night, two, three, four, 10 pages max, and then I fall asleep,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He reflected for a moment when asked what he would do after the war, and appeared to contemplate the prospect that Russia would prevail. \u201cAfter the war, after the victory, these are different things,\u201d he said. \u201cIt could be different. I think my plans depend on that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cSo, I would like to believe that there will be a victory for Ukraine. Not an easy one, very difficult. It is absolutely clear that it will be very difficult. And I would just like to have a bit of time with my family and with my dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Zelensky passed a critical point in his presidency early in the war with the failure of Russia\u2019s attempted decapitating attack on the Ukrainian leadership in Kyiv, which he has said included a plan to capture or assassinate him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Now, nearly 17 months later, it\u2019s unclear how or when his presidency will end. Ukraine\u2019s martial law, which is periodically renewed with votes in Parliament, rules out holding presidential elections. Though his party, Servant of the People, holds a majority of seats, party discipline has reportedly unraveled in recent months, and Mr. Zelensky has struggled to push through bills.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">After the shock of the initial invasion, 90 percent of Ukrainians said they trusted Mr. Zelensky; that figure had fallen to 60 percent by February, according to polling by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Competitive national elections have been a success of Ukraine\u2019s politics since independence in 1991, fulfilling the promise of a democratic transition that fell flat in Russia, Belarus and some countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">International experts on elections have supported Ukraine\u2019s decision to suspend voting during the war, given that millions of Ukrainians would be unable to vote in areas under occupation, as refugees in Europe or while serving as soldiers at the front.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Asked to assess the health Ukraine\u2019s democracy, he said, \u201cUkraine doesn\u2019t need to prove anything about democracy to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cBecause Ukraine and its people are proving it through their war,\u201d he went on. \u201cWithout words, without unnecessary rhetoric, without just rhetorical messages floating in the air. They prove it with their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Bill Brink<!-- --> and <!-- -->Philip P. Pan<!-- --> contributed reporting from Kyiv.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/21\/world\/europe\/ukraine-zelensky-interview.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With his army struggling to fend off fierce Russian advances all across the front, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine urged the United States and Europe to do more to defend his nation, dismissing fears of nuclear escalation and proposing that NATO planes shoot down Russian missiles in Ukrainian airspace. Mr. Zelensky said he had also [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/05\/21\/multimedia\/21-zelensky-pvhz-promo\/21-zelensky-pvhz-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2696,54733,3684,6501,300,8774],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55477"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55477"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55479,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55477\/revisions\/55479"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}