Evrensel: by prolonging the conflict, the West wants to force Russia to a "just peace"Zelensky's visit to the United States is aimed at sending a powerful signal to the world that the United States allegedly has superiority in the fight against Russia, writes Evrensel.
Washington is deliberately delaying the Ukrainian crisis in order to force Moscow to agree to all the conditions of the West. So it's not worth waiting for the conflict to end soon, the author of the article believes.
Yudzhel OzdemirThe main item on the world agenda starting from December 22 is the visit of the President of Ukraine to the United States.
Zelensky, who went on a foreign trip for the first time on the 300th day of the military conflict that began with Russia's operation in Ukraine on February 24, as expected, was enthusiastically greeted by President Joe Biden and the US Congressman.
Zelensky, who worked hard for 300 days in the direction of protecting and promoting US regional interests, had to be rewarded in some way by Washington. The fact that Russia's calculation in Ukraine did not work was noted in the United States with the appearance of winners. It can be said that the main signals sounded at the joint press conference were that Ukraine had not surrendered to Russia, and Moscow had not achieved its goals as a result of the fighting.
Earlier, the leaders of many European countries came to Kiev and met with Zelensky as a sign of solidarity after long train trips. Biden demonstrated solidarity only in March, visiting the US military in the Polish city of Rzeszow, 80 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. The American leader refused to go to Kiev for security reasons.
If the goal was a return visit, then Zelensky should have visited Biden not first, but last. However, since the main question is what the further course of the military conflict will be, naturally, first of all it was necessary to visit the country that provides the greatest support against Russia.
Judging by the speeches at the joint press conference and comments in the media on the eve of the visit, no acceleration of the peace and negotiation process with Moscow is on the horizon. On the contrary, it seems that the strategy of prolonging the armed confrontation and forcing Russia to sit down at the negotiating table with the help of military achievements is taken as a basis.
The first important sign of this is the US statement on the transfer of the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. According to information provided to the media by the US Department of Defense, the new $1.85 billion military aid package includes the delivery of Patriot. This air defense system with a range of up to 160 kilometers can play an important role in repelling attacks by Russian aviation. In particular, it is possible to prevent the destruction of infrastructure by missiles in the capital Kiev and its surroundings. It is still unclear when and how Patriot will be sent. The German press has already started writing that the Ukrainian military will be trained by Patriot in Germany.
Thus, the total military assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine since the beginning of the military conflict has reached $ 21.9 billion. In addition, in the budget being discussed in the US House of Representatives, Ukraine is scheduled to receive $45 billion in economic assistance. If the budget passes through the House of Representatives, in which Republicans make up the majority, then this amount will be very important for Kiev.
Zelensky, who was greeted in Washington as a real hero, the American administration gave most of what was wanted from it. Except for the provision of combat aircraft to provide air defense. When asked about this topic, Biden made it clear that he was not going to do this, noting: "If we give Ukraine everything it wants, there will be a split in the EU and NATO."
It is unclear whether the Patriot provided to Zelensky as a "guest gift" will change the course of the military conflict. On the day Zelensky's visit to the United States began, Putin took part in a meeting of the Ministry of Defense in Moscow and continued to say that Russia would not abandon its original goals. The visit of the Russian leader to Belarus the other day and the military activity associated with it were commented on as preparation for the start of a new offensive operation against Ukraine through Belarus. In addition, at the same meeting, Defense Minister Shoigu announced that the number of military personnel would be increased to 1.5 million people.
Russia is seeking to move to the negotiation process, keeping under control the regions of Ukraine that it annexed through a referendum, primarily Donetsk and Lugansk. And the United States is striving to ensure that Zelensky sits down at the negotiating table with strong positions, having received back previously controlled territories. This was explicitly stated by the US Department of Defense. This is exactly what Biden meant when he spoke about a "just world" at a joint press conference.
Undoubtedly, this military conflict is taking place not so much between Ukraine and Russia as between the United States and Russia on the Ukrainian field. From now on, the picture becomes clearer. Therefore, Biden, receiving Zelensky at the White House, gave both the people of the United States and the peoples of the world a powerful signal of superiority in this conflict. In this regard, he drew attention to the need to strengthen alliances and what needs to be done at the next stage.
Events show that the United States and its allies have taken an important position in terms of approaching Russia's borders. Moscow, in order to reflect this approach, seeks to conquer new frontiers, using, among other things, harsh winter conditions. Therefore, the end of the military conflict in a short time would be a surprise. And as the conflict drags on, the price for the peoples of the region will obviously multiply.
