Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on countries to join in supporting Ukraine, as the war can be ended only by putting more pressure on Russia.
’This year must be decisive. Can freezing the war in Ukraine be its end? I don’t want to settle for the truism that any frozen conflict will eventually reignite. And I remind you that after 2014, there were attempts to freeze the war in Donbas. There were very influential guarantors of those events – the then-chancellor of Germany and the then president of France. But Putin is a predator who is not satisfied with a frozen product’, Zelenskyy said in his speech in Davos.
Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stated that the West should not refrain from supplying Ukraine with weapons and funds if it wants Ukraine to succeed in the war against Russia. Von der Leyen also emphasized that Ukrainians need predictable funding throughout 2024 and beyond.
After such speeches, President Zelenskyy and Ursula von der Leyen held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Davos Economic Forum. At the meeting, Zelenskyy focused on the need to unlock the decision on providing Ukraine with EUR 50 billion euros in long-term assistance from the EU at the EU Council Summit on 1 February, where Ukraine hopes to achieve consensus on this matter. They agreed to initiate the screening of the Ukrainian legislation, which is a further step towards opening negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the EU. (Background: On 27 February, the European Commission may release an assessment of Ukraine’s progress with European integration reforms, upon which the actual start of accession negotiations depends.)
At the same time, von der Leyen said on X that that the European Commission is advancing the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU and is providing resources for the recovery, reconstruction, and reform of Ukraine through a dedicated fund. ’Our hearts are with your soldiers on the frontline. Keeping faith in an EU future will give them strength,’ she said.
Nice words… At the same time, I would like to add a few remarks.
As far as von der Leyen is concerned, media reports suggest ahead of the European elections in June, von der Leyen remains the favorite for a second term in office, as no other candidate seems to have a chance of replacing her. It means that everything she says and does must be viewed through this prism.
As far as Ukraine’s President and Ukraine is concerned, as the second anniversary of the beginning of Russian aggression in Ukraine approaches, it is worth asking two questions, namely, how long can Ukraine continue the war, and how long can Zelenskyy survive?
Ukraine can probably continue to fight as long as the West provides it with weapons and the necessary financial means to maintain the state. Von der Leyen will ensure all this.
Zelenskyy’s political survival is a much more complex issue. There are not only political and military components of this issue, but also psychological ones.
In 2024, the main question is whether Ukrainians still want to live in a country at war. If so, then Zelenskyy will have a chance to stay in power. In that case, however, the question is whether the President of Ukraine will be mentally capable of performing his duties with the same agility as before. As you know, there are quite a few potential candidates who would be happy to replace him…
So, for me, the main question is the following:
Are Ukrainians satisfied with frozen products such as Volodymyr Zelenskyy or do they want fresh meat…?
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