In New Interview, Zelenskyy Shares the Only Outcome Ukraine Will Accept—but Is It Reasonable? – Opinion

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the once-improbable hero of the Russia-Ukraine War, told Fox News “Special Report” anchor Brett Baier on Friday he will accept nothing short of “victory” over invading Russian forces. “Besides victory,” he said, “the Ukrainian people will not accept any outcome.”

In the interview Zelenskyy was occasionally a bit smug. Pleading for two things: commitments from “leading nations” that Ukraine’s security will be protected via treaty if the war-torn country agrees to a de-escalation with Russia, and additional heavy weapons — not only necessary to continue to take the fight to Vladimir Putin’s army but, said Zelenskky, to also force Russia to the negotiating table in earnest.

Zelenskyy also reiterated his belief that Ukraine would be an important strategic addition to NATO, a hot-button nonstarter for the Russian president-turned-Stalinist dictator.

It’s hard for us to talk about NATO because NATO doesn’t want to admit us,” Zelenskyy said. “I think it’s a mistake because if we join NATO, we make NATO much stronger.

Our state is not weak. NATO is not our goal. We are not an addition; we are the engine.

I consider us to be an important component of the European continent.

As transcribed by Fox, Zelenskyy has a few nonstarters of his own — principally, trading Ukrainian territory for peace with Russia:

Our territory is not traded. It is not a question of sovereignty and territorial integrity. [the] discussion.

Putin has put forward unfounded claim after unfounded claim about Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed rebel separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian government since 2014. In late February, Putin ridiculously tried to justify the invasion by claiming “the purpose of this Operation is to protect (Russian-speaking) people who, for eight years now, have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kyiv regime.”

A perfect example of classic Soviet-style propaganda— used to justify every expansionist effort and killing spree conducted by the Stalinists in the Kremlin, at which Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian people, and most people in the civilized world have scoffed from the outset.

Baier asked Ukraine’s president whether he believed Joe Biden at one stage in the interview wants Ukraine to win, or if spineless Joe and his equally-inept administration fear Putin’s reaction if He loses. A remarkable question about a sitting president of the United States and  “leader” [ROFL emoji] of the Free World — yet it begged to be asked. Zelenskyy softly pedaled before pleading for more equipment.

Like any American citizen, I believe that President Biden believes in the truth and is determined to help Ukraine. They want to see our countries win with the same values they hold dear.

That’s freedom. That’s democracy. Freedom of speech Freedom of choice. Freedom to choose how you live your life and work. With whom to share your life. Whom to love. What number of children should you have? These values should be close to the hearts of all human beings, I believe.

Our nation needs peace and security. We don’t want a million of quality bulletproof vests or some special brand helmets. Give us missiles. You must give us planes. F-18, F-19, or any other type of plane you may have are not acceptable. We need the Soviet-era planes.

That’s all. They are mine. You can give me something that I can use to protect my country, and my state.

Forget geopolitics. How can any human being, decent or not, disagree with the principle of this? What do you mean by the Biden portion? Volodymyr Zilenskyy displays a kind of courage, which I suggest at the top.

Zelenskyy’s bravery in the face of enormous danger — both to his country and personally — is made almost bittersweet by his contrast with the pathetic occupant of the Oval Office, who never met a buck he wasn’t more than eager to pass, never issued a hollow threat that didn’t remain hollow, continues to allow hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens to flow across the southern border, and purposely drives up inflation and energy costs that now affect tens of millions of everyday Americans.

What do you think of my headline question? Is Zelenskyy’s insistence that the only outcome he and the Ukrainian people will accept is “victory” over Russia reasonable? It is even possible. You can fight until the end, apples to apples. No.

However, it’s been said that diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have You way. Effective negotiation is a key element in the relations between Russia, Ukraine and the West. Vladimir Putin is increasingly in need of a way to get out from Ukraine, and the ill-conceived war that he started. That said, he must be able to declare “victory” (lie) at best; that Russia did not lose, at worst.

The West including Biden to his part would be a great place. Partially credit, continues to provide Ukraine the necessary hardware to continue to kick Putin’s ass, the Russian dictator might very well eventually find a way to declare his “victory,” lick his wounds, and summon his once-vaunted army the hell home.

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