In a remarkable turn of events, President Zelensky called America and NATO weak for not honoring his request to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Even worse, he accused them of complicity in the death of Ukrainian women and children.
Mr Zelensky said he disagreed that direct action could ‘provoke Russia’s direct aggression against Nato’.
In angry comments, he said the argument reflected the ‘self-hypnosis of those who are weak, under-confident inside’ and that Western reservations indicated that ‘not everyone considers the struggle for freedom to be Europe’s number one goal’.
(BBC, March 5, 2022)
Ever since the Russian invasion, Zelensky has been receiving near-universal praise for his Churchillian leadership in this, Ukraine’s “darkest hour.” But his advisers should caution him about biting the hand that’s saving him.
His exasperation is understandable of course. But, in accusing NATO members of wanting to see Ukrainians die slowly, he also risks becoming the boy who cried wolf.
Not to mention that this is the same Zelensky who, just weeks ago, was mocking America as alarmist for warning him about the very Russian invasion Ukraine is now desperately fending off.
In fact, I admonished him in a February 19 commentary that, instead of accusing America of inciting panic, he should be shouting the rallying cry, “Ukrainians will defend Ukraine. So don’t send us your sons. Just send us your arms!” But he seems oblivious to the untenable contradiction inherent in his request, namely that enforcing a no-fly zone would amount to America and NATO sending their sons (and daughters in some cases) to defend Ukraine.
As it stands, America has amassed a coalition of the willing to send Ukraine all the arms its fighters could possibly use. And that will soon include warplanes and drones so its pilots can bedevil Russian invaders in the air the way its fighters are now doing on the ground.
The point is that America did not give Britain everything Winston Churchill requested, when he requested it, during WWII. Yet even the imperious Churchill never demeaned America publicly the way Zelensky is doing.
Churchill knew that, like President Biden, President Roosevelt had to consider the repercussions of his actions not just for America and Britain but the entire world. And so he pleaded and appealed for months, without ever questioning America’s commitment to freedom, before getting Roosevelt to support Britain and other European countries with his famous Lend Lease initiative.
All the while Britain was weathering over 100 days of German blitzkrieg bombing. To date, Ukraine has only had to weather 10 days of Russian haphazard bombing. So Zelensky would do well to emulate Churchill’s situational and geopolitical awareness.
Apropos of which, Zelensky would also do well to do as Churchill did by making time to sleep, shower, and shave. I am sure that would do wonders for his thinking and temperament.
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