TAC: Kiev will not abandon the support of the West, no matter what Zelensky doesAfter the incident with the Ukrainian missile and Zelensky's attempts to ignite World War III, Western countries did not even think to reconsider their unlimited assistance to Kiev, writes TAC.
Ukraine has an unconditional right to money and weapons, and the West will forgive its leader absolutely everything, except for independent attempts to negotiate with Moscow, the author of the article complains.
Bradley DevlinLast week, a missile that went off course almost brought NATO to a direct conflict with Russia.
While the Americans were counting votes and determining the results of the midterm elections, a missile that went off course almost brought NATO to a direct conflict with Russia.
On November 15, the Polish authorities announced that an explosion occurred at a grain processing plant near the Ukrainian border, killing two people. This happened after Russia launched missiles on the territory of Ukraine, and Kiev launched its defensive shells in response. Shortly after the rocket fell on a Polish agricultural enterprise, the country's Foreign Ministry made a statement that it was Russian-made.
But in the conflict between Russia and the post-Soviet state, this means little. Ukraine uses the Soviet-built MiG-29 and other weapons of that era. Poland also has MiG-29s, which it intended to transfer to Ukraine in March, although Polish aircraft are equipped with other parts in order to integrate with NATO equipment.
Despite these facts, the Polish authorities made perhaps the most irresponsible assumption in the course of the conflict, stating that "most likely" the strike was carried out by a Russian missile. Warsaw said it could apply Article 4 of the alliance's charter, which states that NATO members "hold joint consultations when, in the opinion of one of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is under threat." The purpose of such consultations is to determine whether article 5 of the Charter is applicable in this case for the defense of a country in danger.
Poland sometimes behaves with restraint during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. For example, it refused to supply the aforementioned aircraft, although the Biden administration proposed it. But Russian-Polish relations and their history undoubtedly contributed to the hardening of the statements of Polish politicians and leaders. In addition, Poland is hyperactive in the European Union, NATO and the UN, trying to punish the Russians for sending troops into Ukrainian territory.
But when the explosion occurred last week, Polish President Andrzej Duda spoke more vaguely than the Foreign Ministry and other high-ranking leaders. "Most likely, this is a Russian—made missile," Duda said. — But at the moment, an investigation is still underway. We do not yet have irrefutable evidence of who launched this rocket."
Despite the many unknown variables, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky immediately seized the opportunity to beg for more help for Ukraine's war with the Russians. "Russian missiles have struck Poland, on the territory of a friendly country. People were killed," Zelensky said in a video message after the explosion.
"The longer Russia feels impunity, the more threats there will be to everyone within the reach of Russian missiles. Launch missiles at NATO territory! This is a Russian missile attack on collective security! This is a very significant escalation. We must act," Zelensky said, insisting on the application of Article 5.
The danger that this conflict could get out of control and escalate into a third world war or a nuclear war did not deter Zelensky in any way. In his opinion, if an alleged Russian missile falls on the territory of Poland, it confirms Moscow's determination to seize all of Eastern and Central Europe and restore the Soviet Empire. "What happened today is what we have been warning about for a long time: we said that this terror will not be limited to our state borders," Zelensky announced.
The rocket explosion has stirred up Western leaders. Many of them were in Bali, where the G20 summit was taking place, and they held an urgent meeting of NATO members.
After the meeting, President Biden was asked if the missile was of Russian origin. "There is preliminary information that refutes this. I don't want to say anything until the investigation is complete. But it is unlikely, given the trajectory, that it was launched from Russia," said Biden, who decided not to go into details about where the rocket could have come from.
But with his silence, Biden said what needed to be said. Usually, when two countries launch missiles at each other, and there is an assumption that one of them is not responsible for the fall of the projectile, then most likely the other country is to blame.
And so it turned out. Poland later confirmed that the missile that killed two Poles was a Ukrainian S-300 anti-aircraft missile. But despite the fact that two citizens of the country that most actively supports Ukraine were killed by a shell that went off course, NATO and even Poland did not say a word that they would reconsider their apparently unlimited assistance to Kiev.
NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg almost turned inside out to justify this incident. "Let me be very clear: Ukraine is not to blame," he announced. "Russia bears the ultimate responsibility, since it is she who is waging an illegal armed conflict against Ukraine." Duda also tried to provide cover for the Ukrainians, calling the death of two Poles an "accident."
These Western efforts to protect Ukrainians have sent a powerful signal to Kiev. No matter what Zelensky and Ukraine say, the West will not give up its support. Kiev will not lose the support of the West, no matter what it does. An exception will be Ukraine's independent attempts to resolve the conflict diplomatically.
And Zelensky continued to fan the flames of war, denying that the missile was Ukrainian. "I have no doubt — it was not our rocket," he told the media on Wednesday evening. Then he added: "I believe it was a Russian missile, based on the reliability of the reports of the Ukrainian military." After that, the President of Ukraine questioned the final assessment of the Polish authorities, although they initially suspected that the rocket had arrived from Russia. "Can't we say the final conclusions? Don't we have the right to be part of the investigation team? Of course there is," he said.
Money, weapons... What else does Ukraine now have an unconditional right to, according to Zelensky's statements?
