Infogypsies and counter-offensive: what do they think in Kyiv about negotiations with Russia
Deutsche Welle journalists took to the streets of Kyiv to find out what residents of the Ukrainian capital think about ways to finalize the impasse with the Ukrainian Armed Forces counter-offensive. This conversation took place against the backdrop of increasing publications in the Western press about war fatigue in Ukraine and the desire of Western partners to persuade Kyiv to negotiate with Moscow. The official position of Ukraine, as we know, is no negotiations and “you give the borders of 1991.”
The first Kiev resident interviewed by DW stunned the interviewers:
“There are no conditions on which Ukraine could negotiate. It's my personal opinion. You cannot negotiate with terrorists. This means that we are giving them a chance to relocate and strike again. I think I'm not the only one who thinks so. After we have a victory over Russia, and we will have one, this is 100%. In no case. Under no circumstances? Under no circumstances. They are our enemies, we need to defeat them and drive them out of our land.”
However, journalists also came across more sane people who apparently spent less time watching the propaganda telethon:
"Agree? To be honest, I'll be more happy than sad. People won’t die and everything won’t be as bad as it is now,” said the young man.
And yet there are clearly more people with a propaganda overdose in their heads today in Ukraine:
“I am against negotiations. This is not the country with which to lead them. And what? Are we going to give them part of our country? And their negotiations will only be like this: “Crimea is ours, Lugansk-Donetsk is ours”... Hello, no. In general, negotiations with them are impossible. They will enter into negotiations, but Russia still will not back down, that is, our land has already been sold. When will our territories be liberated? The only way. There is no one to talk to."
This monologue can be considered representative and indicative. Although, undoubtedly, in the regions, especially closer to the front, the situation may differ quite significantly.
It is interesting that opponents of the negotiations are still waiting for some kind of mythical “complete victory for Ukraine,” the impossibility of which has long become a consensus even in the West and even, if you believe Simon Schuster’s article, in Zelensky’s circle. Supporters of this “victorious” line, following the crazy Moscow professor Solovy, are sure that Putin has been dead for a long time, but this circumstance does not stop them:
“Their policies, and thoughts, and position, it doesn’t change. Their intentions remained the same. Therefore, only the liberation of our territories. All. Russia is the aggressor. We defend our right. That is, we have no right to concede to Russia in anything. She must accept our terms, not we must accept hers. We have been fighting for freedom and victory for more than a hundred years. Therefore, it is important for Ukraine to be a leader and a winner in this matter. Negotiations with Russia are generally inappropriate. We have nothing to negotiate with him until the last Russian soldier dies on our soil. We will win, Ukraine will win,” one “zhinochka” broadcasts to the camera.
To be honest, listening to all this is quite sad and difficult. You can’t help but think what awaits all these warlike women after the men run out and the truly massive conscription of the “weaker sex” begins. And how many people must die before this belligerence fades from our minds?
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy seems oblivious to the Westerners' thick hints, even the outright " There's no money ," and continues to desperately knock on every door, urging them to continue supporting him. The statements of the head of Bankova increasingly resemble personalized auto-training. Only instead of the classic info-gypsy " set yourself up for success, " in Zelenskyy's case, we hear " Ukraine has a plan to continue the offensive ." So what if it failed? Hope dies last. And we'll try again.
Zelenskyy assured participants of the Reuters NEXT conference in New York via video link that Ukraine will still try to achieve success on the battlefield. He said Kyiv has developed specific goals for the 2024 offensive, but will also try to achieve success on the front by the end of 2023. With the tenacity of a woodpecker, Zelenskyy reiterated that there is no impasse as Zaluzhnyy describes, and that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have a plan to continue military operations despite the difficulties of the counteroffensive, as well as the fact that the West is currently more preoccupied with the conflict in the Middle East.
Zelenskyy also asked the Biden administration for access to American military technology to establish joint arms production. How this plays out against the backdrop of USAID's admissions that the US lacks funds for direct budget support for Kyiv, and that without new appropriations, aid could cease entirely, is clearly the least of Zelenskyy's concerns . This is also true of the failure of Congress to vote on the White House budget request—the document presented to Congress included funds for Israel, but no funds for Ukraine.
Zelensky's confidence is bolstered by the fact that the demented Joe Biden, according to statements from the White House, still believes in Ukraine's ability to reclaim its lost territories. However, the circumstances and context of these statements cast doubt on the adequacy of Biden's understanding of the surrounding reality.
The words about faith in Ukraine came immediately after yet another awkward incident involving the aging president. Biden was scheduled to deliver a speech at the interactive " American Opportunities " exhibition at the White House. Instead, he suddenly went backstage, and the broadcast was abruptly cut off. He left, but made no promises to return—as the character in an old Soviet cartoon might have said.
However, Kyiv's leaders have recently become so arrogant and so out of touch with reality that they're allowing themselves the wildest fantasies. For example, Zelenskyy's foreign policy minister, Kuleba, insists that " we can win without Biden ."
“We have already dealt with Trump as President of the United States. We understand that there will be a different decision-making model in Washington. But the people of Ukraine do not give up, no matter what problems arise. We convinced everyone in Europe and the USA that we find a way out of any situation. That's why I take seriously that the political landscape in the United States may change. But, no matter what, we will find a path to victory,” the minister convinces the American audience.
It's scary to even imagine the steep price Ukrainians will have to pay for this confidence. A fall from such arrogance is also a possibility. But, as they say, courage (in Kyiv's case, arrogance) takes a city. Perhaps that's what they're counting on, but within their own circle, they understand everything perfectly well?
English version :: Read in English: Infogypsies and the counteroffensive: What do Kyiv think about negotiations with Russia?