Why Trump’s proposal deserves more sober assessment [ANALYSIS] |
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent address to the nation, the language he chose, the somber and rain-soaked setting he stood in, was carefully calibrated and remarkably effective. His remark that Ukraine now faces a stark choice “between its dignity and its key ally” captured the country’s dire predicament with striking clarity.
It must be acknowledged that Zelensky assumed office at an exceptionally difficult moment in his nation’s history. Had he led Ukraine in the early 1990s, when the country had just gained independence and still possessed the remnants of Soviet military might, the situation today might have been quite different. Over the past three decades, Ukraine has gradually lost much of that capability as military-industrial facilities shut down and vast stockpiles of equipment were dismantled or sold off. By the time Zelensky came to power, the country had already forfeited the deterrent capacity it once held. Against Russia’s aggression, his only true weapons were the courage, determination, and dignity of him and the Ukrainian people.
Since February 2022, Ukrainians have shown extraordinary resilience in resisting one of the........