Six months into the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the conflict has captured global attention and disrupted global supply networks. As German Chancellor Olaf Schulz phrased it in the early days of the crisis, many in Europe regarded it as a watershed moment in history.
According to the Atlantic Council, an American think tank, six months into the battle, the following had occurred.
Diplomacy and US threats were useless in deterring Russia, and increasing NATO troop deployment in Eastern Europe prior to the invasion had little effect. After six months of fighting, the West has nothing to offer Ukraine in terms of long-term security guarantees.
The US administration also failed to communicate the nature of the conflict. US Vice President Joe Biden has not asked Americans to do anything other than pay rising fuel prices.
True, he accomplished much for Ukraine, and he and his staff give him credit for many things, but it is not the message he delivers to the public. He was happy to publish an elitist editorial in the New York Times outlining what the US would and would not do in Ukraine, but this was inadequate. True, it wasn’t as awful as President George W.
Bush did when he invited the people to go shopping following the September 11 terrorist attacks, but Biden’s lack of engagement is disappointing.
The battle showed the transformation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from a showman to a statesman, as he came from an artistic background and worked as a comedian before to his presidential candidacy. During his first two years in office, he showed little interest in the finer points of politics, preferring to push through quick changes.
According to the Atlantic Council, Zelensky now resembles today’s Winston Churchill. He started the crisis by refusing to leave Kyiv and continue ruling western Ukraine or Poland.
The Atlantic Council: Six months into the Ukraine war, there have been some surprises.
About Author
