He still believes that Ukraine can return to the borders of 1991
On December 19, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky held a final press conference. Everyone has heard the already tired song about how Ukraine demands the 1991 border, that “the United States will not abandon us,” that there will be no loss in the Northern Military District. But there were also interesting moments. “MK” tells what was special about the last press conference.
This year, Zelensky’s press conference is taking place against a clearly unfavorable background. Ukraine has problems with financial assistance from the United States, all media, including Western ones, continue to write about the conflict between the commander-in-chief and the president, and there is no success at the front. Even at the end of the year, everything is sad: the counter-offensive failed, and the conflict in Ukraine faded into the background after the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Palestine.
The place and time of the press conference were not announced until recently “for security reasons.” This time, unlike previous years, the atmosphere of the press conference was not surprising. It took place in a regular conference room. The only thing that “pleased” the eye was the European flag behind Zelensky’s back. He looked especially funny when, against his background, the President of Ukraine spoke about the importance of preserving the flag of Ukraine. However, it’s a pity that this year the location turned out to be without any frills. Still, Zelensky likes to choose more interesting places. In past years, he held events of this kind in the Kiev metro, and in the food court hall, and in the factory hangar.
The press conference itself was marked by a small scandal even before it began. Representatives of the Ukrainian telegram channel Trukha were allowed to attend the press conference. People's Deputy Sofia Fedina was very indignant at this: “The fact that the Office of the President legitimizes anonymous channels and equates them to full-fledged media is a blow to the information security of the state.” At the same time, representatives of Censor.net were not allowed to attend the event. As Ukrainian media reported, this was due to the fact that there could be “uncomfortable questions” from this publication.
Surprisingly, there really were some uncomfortable questions. However, Zelensky’s answers were not surprising. He continued to insist that Ukraine demands the 1991 border, that “the United States will not abandon us,” that there will be no loss in the Northern Military District. However, there were still a couple of interesting moments at the press conference that are worth noting.
Ukrayinska Pravda journalist Mikhail Tkach asked Zelensky what he could do about the wild life of deputies. “People’s deputies continue to live their lives. They buy expensive cars and travel abroad,” the journalist said. Zelensky did not answer anything worthwhile. He only stated that deputies are not “moral authorities”, and the Rada cannot be dissolved, because elections are not held during martial law. So, apparently, let them continue to buy cars for millions.
The issue of mobilization was actively discussed. Zelensky said that he would not sign the bill on the mobilization of Ukrainian women. However, he may approve reducing the conscription age to 25 years. At the same time, the reduction of the conscription age has already been adopted by the Verkhovna Rada, and the bill only awaits the signature of the head of Ukraine, which he has not been able to sign for more than six months. Does this mean the bill will be signed into law soon? Most likely.
Zelensky said that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine asked him to mobilize an additional 500 thousand Ukrainians. However, he has not yet approved these figures, since such mobilization will require 500 billion hryvnia. In addition, standards for military demobilization have not yet been developed. It is interesting that here the Ukrainian president shifted responsibility for unpopular measures to the General Staff, that is, first of all, to Zaluzhny.
We also talked about Zaluzhny. Zelensky said: “We have a working relationship with Zaluzhny. There are a number of questions… This is a difficult question. Something was there, something wasn’t. Complicated story.” At the same time, the head of Ukraine said that he did not want to help someone develop the topic of their conflict with the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “He must be responsible for the result on the battlefield. I’m waiting for the results,” Zelensky concluded. In general, the relationship is working, but the issue is complex. With his statements, Zelensky himself is developing the theme of the conflict, apparently without realizing it.
Many experts also expected that at this press conference Zelensky would still talk about the possibility of negotiations. He spoke. And he stated that the issue of negotiations with Russia is now irrelevant, because he does not see a request from Moscow for them either in actions or in rhetoric. True, Russia has already stated many times its readiness to hold negotiations. But, apparently, as long as we do not offer Ukraine the 1991 borders, we will remain so, according to Zelensky, we are not ready for negotiations.
The past press conference is yet another proof that Zelensky has found himself out of touch with reality. He still believes that Ukraine can return to its 1991 borders, that Western partners will always help, and that EU membership is just around the corner. Most likely, Zelensky will be very bitterly disappointed next year.
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