Prof. ST Hsieh
Director, US-China Energy Industry Forum
626-376-7460
September 21, 2023
The proxy war in Ukraine has lasted 575 days and counting. While President Zelensky was in DC today made an emotional speech asking for more weapons and aids, war is a cold-blooded business: people are dying, and buildings are being destroyed all the time.
The sad truth is that, after 575 days, Zelensky still does not have “his vision of a plan for victory!” It means that, according to Zelensky, we have to support this war as long as it lasts. Because: He portrays Ukraine as a bulwark protecting the free world.
Ukraine is an important nation, but if the proxy war does not end soon, there won’t be much left for the Ukrarians to live on. The military aids that the US and allies have provided to Ukraine, and the severe sanctions that the US and allies imposed on Russia have not softened Russia yet. What is the prospect of this proxy war that Ukraine will win eventually?
Mr. Zelensky’s warning to lawmakers at the US Capitol that Kyiv would “lose the war” if the United States did not supply more aid. That is even more alarming, is it the US to blame if Zelensky were to lose this war? It is a “guilty trap,” but the question should be why with all the massive supports poured to Ukraine in the past 575 days have not ended wining the war. What was the war strategy before all the hell broke loose? In the sense, what this proxy war is all about? Is it about the existence of Ukraine? Or is it about defeating Russia so that “never again will Russia manage to destroy any other nation?”
In stead of venturing to the US asking for military equipment, Zelensky should at least spend half of his valuable time working on stopping this proxy war! Unfortunately, Zelensky is demanding military support from the US and allies to continue the fight, without any real plan to win! The worst scenario is that, even with all the promised supports, Ukraine may still lose the war!
The US and allies need a plan B!
Zelenskyy delivers upbeat message to US lawmakers on war progress as some Republican support softens
Yahoo News
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky worked to strengthen U.S. support for the fight against Russia while facing new questions about funding from members of Congress.
Zelensky Thanks Americans in Emotional Speech to End Washington Visit
Sept. 21, 2023Updated 10:15 p.m. ET
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine finished a long day of lobbying in Washington at the White House, where he met Thursday with President Biden after receiving a $325 million air-defense package, but appeared to have made little immediate progress in persuading House leadership to approve another $24 billion in military and humanitarian aid.
Mr. Zelensky, accompanied by his wife, Olena Zelenska, capped off his visit with an emotional speech at the National Archive on Thursday evening, during which he and his wife thanked Americans for their support.
“There is not a soul in Ukraine that does not feel gratitude to you, America,” Mr. Zelensky said. “To you, the people who help us not because you have to but because your heart cannot let you do otherwise.”
Unlike his first wartime appearance in Washington, when lawmakers enthusiastically greeted him last December after a spree of successes on the battlefield, Mr. Zelensky’s visit this week was more muted in tone, as some Republican lawmakers are growing increasingly skeptical of Kyiv’s slow-moving counteroffensive.
His visit seemed to have no immediate impact. The Republican majority in the House, deeply divided over cutting spending, failed again on Thursday to reach agreement on the military spending bill that includes the aid for Ukraine.
A harrowing morning in Ukraine, where Russia launched a wave of missile attacks on energy plants and equipment, added urgency to Mr. Zelensky’s warning to lawmakers at the Capitol that Kyiv would “lose the war” if the United States did not supply more aid.
When a reporter asked Mr. Zelensky at the White House if he had gotten assurances from Congress on continued funding, Mr. Biden answered for him. “I’m counting on the good judgment of the United States Congress,” he said. “There’s no alternative.”
Mr. Zelensky’s visit to Washington, his second since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, is happening at a critical time. Ukraine is struggling to break through Russian front lines in a counteroffensive being fought in the south and east, before the start of winter brings fighting to a standstill.
Looming over his trip is the American presidential election, just over a year away. The prospect of a second Trump administration, and a less enthusiastic commitment to aiding Ukraine, concerns leaders in Kyiv.
Here’s what else to know:
- The aid package Mr. Biden announced on Thursday includes Hawk air defense batteries, artillery ammunition and cluster munitions, but not the long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, that Mr. Zelensky has sought.
- Despite Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s tough talk in public, questioning military aid for Ukraine while facing a right-wing rebellion in the House, he seemed more receptive during his closed-door meeting with Mr. Zelensky on Thursday, according to other lawmakers who were there. Representative Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas, said Mr. McCarthy asked Mr. Zelensky what he needed to win the war and to provide lawmakers with his vision of a plan for victory.
Zelensky is working hard to highlight the values that bind the American and Ukrainian people, stressing a shared love of freedom. He says U.S. aid has saved millions of lives in Ukraine by keeping most of the country out of Russian hands.
“Never before has the Russian dictatorship met such strong resistance, and never again will Russia manage to destroy any other nation,” Zelensky vows.
Zelensky makes a powerful pitch, appealing to his American audience’s deep feelings about democracy and the sacrifices Americans have made to preserve it. He portrays Ukraine as a bulwark protecting the free world.
In a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Biden tells Zelensky that President Vladimir Putin of Russia underestimated the Ukrainian people when Moscow began its full-scale invasion last year. “Well, he was wrong and continues to be wrong. Ukraine is unbroken, unbowed and unconquered,” Biden said, adding that the “entire world” has a stake in the conflict.
“That’s what this is all about,” Biden told Zelensky as he detailed the aid package. “The future, the future of freedom. America can never, we’ll never walk away from that. That’s why, 575 days later, we stand with Ukraine and will continue to stand with you, Mr. President.”
In his remarks from the Oval Office meeting with President Zelensky, President Biden called Ukraine a “partner” and said the U.S. was “supporting a just and lasting peace, one that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” He said the U.S. is “formalizing our commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security alongside the G7 and with other partners.”
Upon entering the Oval Office, President Zelensky thanked President Biden for the invitation, and said: “Today I’m in Washington to strengthen our coalition to defend Ukrainian children, families, our homes, freedom and democracy in the world. And I started my day in the U.S. Congress to thank its members and the people in America for their big, huge support.”
As Zelensky addressed lawmakers, a group of Republicans opposed to sending further aid to Ukraine sent a sharply worded letter to the White House over the money Congress has budgeted to date. The group, led by Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio and Representative Chip Roy of Texas, charged that the administration’s revisions of weapons values, efforts to reprogram funds and lack of an “exit strategy” made their request for another $24 billion in Ukraine aid a nonstarter.