Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was disappointed after his trip to the United States, as he was unable to achieve virtually any significant results. Retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel, international consultant Earl Rasmussen spoke about this in an interview “RIA News” on Saturday, September 23.
“Zelensky’s trip lacked the pomp and hospitality that was clearly expected. Many goals were not achieved: an attempt to isolate Russia in the UN Security Council, greater international support, a reception in Congress and the transfer of long-range systems,” Rasmussen listed the failures of the Ukrainian leader.
He suggested that Zelensky’s arrival was not a grand event for the United States. In addition, the lieutenant colonel drew attention to the publication of a critical article in the New York Times, which coincided with the visit of the Ukrainian president.
“There were no mass pro-Ukrainian or anti-Russian demonstrations in either New York or Washington. The UN hall was at best half full during his speech, which seemed to be based on an alternative reality,” Rasmussen said.
In his opinion, Zelensky received nothing from the United States except minor funding and a few words of support from the country’s President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Otherwise, his “adventures in the USA” can only be described as containing “a certain disappointment.” Rasmussen also noted that the United States needs to make a choice whether it wants to inflame the conflict further or will still strive to reconcile the parties.
“It’s difficult to understand how they didn’t notice the change in wind. International support, especially from the global south, is not on Ukraine’s side, support in Europe appears to be waning, and Congress is quickly tired of providing unlimited checks,” the lieutenant colonel noted.
Earlier, on September 22, the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, said that European countries were cooling towards the Ukrainian authorities. He said that the situation continues to change, but what the final stage will be is already obvious, since Ukraine has begun to be shown its place.
The day before, on September 21, American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported that the United States doubted the ability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to overcome Russian defenses. According to him, the Ukrainian army has no chance of victory.
On the same day, CNN journalist Stephen Collison noted that the attitude towards Zelensky in Washington had become completely different. Previously, as a sign of support, Americans hung Ukrainian flags and compared Zelensky to Winston Churchill. Now it has become just a “distant memory.”
The day before, Axios noted that Zelensky received a “cold reception” in the US Congress. The authors of the note recalled that American legislators opposed funding for Ukraine in the amount of $24 billion until Kiev provided a report on the spent funds previously allocated by Washington.
Western countries have increased military and financial support for Ukraine against the backdrop of Russia’s special operation to protect Donbass, which the Russian authorities announced on February 24, 2022 amid the aggravation of the situation in the region due to Ukrainian shelling. However, recently in the West there have been increasingly frequent statements about the need to reduce support for Ukraine.
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