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With Friends Like These... Western Leaders Who Met Zelensky in 2022
With Friends Like These... Western Leaders Who Met Zelensky in 2022
Sputnik International
Current and former Western leaders, from Boris Johnson to Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden have queued up to shake hands with the khaki-clad Volodymyr Zelensky, as he tries to re-mould himself from comedian to statesman and war-leader.
2022-12-27T17:39+0000
2022-12-27T17:39+0000
2023-05-28T15:25+0000
volodymyr zelensky
joe biden
boris johnson
ukraine
russia
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events that shaped year 2022
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may be unpopular in parts of his own country, but he is the darling of Western politicians.Since Russia launched its military operation to de-Nazify Ukraine on February 24, Zelensky has received dozens of foreign VIP visits and done his own share of jet-setting around European and North American capitals.As part of his constant appeal for handouts of cash and military arms, the former comedian and actor has addressed national parliaments by video-link and occasionally in person.Stealing the BoJo MojoBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a total of three visits to Kiev in 2022, in April, June and August — the last after he had announced his resignation as PM.The first trip was when Johnson notoriously persuaded Zelensky to pull out of peace talks with Russia, mediated by NATO-member Turkey, which were reportedly close to agreement on ceding Ukrainian control of the Donetsk and Lugansk peoples' republics and recognizing Russia's claim to Crimea, along with neutrality for Kiev.The British PM also pledged to supply heavy weaponry, including Harpoon anti-shipping missiles and 120 armoured vehicles. That sounded impressive at the time, but 80 of those vehicles were lightly-armoured Mastiff patrol armoured cars. The missiles may never even have been fired in anger, as Russia claims to have destroyed all the shore-based launch platforms supplied by the US and Denmark along with many of the munitions while they were still in Ukrainian warehouses.Johnson's successor Liz Truss had been a leading proponent of military confrontation with Russia as foreign secretary. At her February 10 meeting with Russian foreign affairs minister Sergey Lavrov, she insisted the UK would never recognise Moscow's sovereignty over the Voronezh and Rostov regions of Russia — well outside Ukraine's borders to the north and east — and vowed to support “our Baltic allies across the Black Sea.” Later she encouraged former British soldiers to fight as mercenaries alongside the Ukrainian army, and during the summer Conservative Party leadership race said she was ready to launch nuclear missiles. Moscow has also taken seriously the claim that she sent a text message to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken moments after the bombing of Russia's Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines to say "it's done".But as Truss only lasted six weeks in 10 Downing Street, she never got to visit Kiev as PM. That dubious honour fell to her replacement Rishi Sunak, who repeated Johnson's words of encouragement to Zelensky to prolong the conflict with Russia. Sunak also pledged more 'lethal aid' in the form of 125 anti-aircraft guns — leaving some scratching their heads, as the British armed forces have not used such weapons for decades.Uncle SamZelensky's first visit to Washington DC as national leader in September 2019 was not all he hoped it to be. Then-US president Donald Trump boasted of sending several hundred Javelin shoulder-launched anti-tank missiles and berated other NATO members for not matching his largesse. He then told Zelensky to make his peace with Russian president Vladimir Putin.Cynics may argue that US foreign policy stays the same no matter who is in the White House. But Trump's successor Joe Biden, whose son Hunter enjoyed a well-paid executive job with Ukrainian gas firm Burisma, could not have been more accommodating to Zelensky when he made a pre-Christmas trip across the Atlantic like a reverse Santa Claus.Despite turning up unshaven in a sweatshirt and cargo pants, the diminutive funny man was feted by Congress after his love-in with Biden. He presented House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice-President Kamala Harris with a Ukrainian flag, signed by soldiers, and received a Stars and Stripes in return.Zelensky's charm offensive paid off, in cash terms at least, with the administration promising him a billion-dollar Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) battery — only to be delivered up to six months down the line — along with some infantry mortars and around 150 more light armoured cars.Tricolor Power-TrioZelensky had a special treat in June when he got to play host to the big three European Union (EU) leaders: Italian prime minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.Macron has always struggled to project a masculine image, perhaps because he married his schoolteacher, 24 years his senior, who he met when he was just 15. The French president seemed to overcompensate when he met Zelensky face-to-face. The two shared a macho 'arm-wrestle' handshake and a bro-mantic gaze, but the moment got awkward as Macron moved in for a hug.It wasn't all hearts and flowers though. Scholz reportedly delivered a 'hidden message to Kiev that Germany would not grant Ukraine a 'shortcut' to EU membership — typically a stepping-stone to joining NATO, Russia's red line. According to German news media, the chancellor insisted Ukraine must first deal with its “notorious corruption” and transform itself into a functional, constitutional state.Draghi has since left office, losing out in the September snap election to a right-wing coalition of new PM Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy, Matteo Salvini's Lega Nord and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia. While Meloni has pledged to keep arming Ukraine, Berlusconi has good relations's with Russia's Putin.Five months later, former British PM Boris Johnson dished the dirt on the Euro power-trio, claiming that at the outset of the conflict they could not wait for Ukraine to 'fold' so trade with Russia could get back to normal. Ursula of UkraineEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen couldn't pass up the chance of a photo opportunity with Zelensky in Kiev in September.The hapless former German defense minister had already funnelled billions of euros to Ukraine, including by using the EU's European Peace Facility fund to buy arms for its battalions — which include neo-Nazi militants.Zelensky duly repaid UVDL by bestowing on her the Order of Yaroslav the Wise (1st class) — named after the 11th-century Grand Prince of Kiev, ironically one of the fathers of the modern Russian nation.Poles ApartThe last leader to jet to Kiev before Zelensky's Washington jaunt was Andrzej Duda, president of neighboring Poland.Despite the smiles and handshakes, the visit was fraught with tensions. With tens of thousands of 'former' Polish soldiers fighting the Russian forces in Ukraine ostensibly as volunteers, many have accused the Warsaw government of dragging the country — and by extension NATO — into direct conflict with Russia.Bad blood remains since last November, when a stray Ukrainian SAM killed two people on a Polish farm near the border. After claiming Russia had deliberately fired a cruise missile onto NATO territory, Zelensky refused to admit it was Ukraine's fault or to apologize.The spectre of Poland once again attempting to revive its 16th-century empire by annexing western regions of Ukraine, principally Lvov, also looms large over relations between Warsaw and Kiev.
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With Friends Like These... Western Leaders Who Met Zelensky in 2022
17:39 GMT 27.12.2022 (Updated: 15:25 GMT 28.05.2023) Current and former Western leaders, from Boris Johnson to Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden have queued up to shake hands with the khaki-clad Volodymyr Zelensky, as he tries to re-mould himself from comedian to statesman and war-leader.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may be unpopular in parts of his own country, but he is the darling of Western politicians.
Since Russia launched its military operation to de-Nazify Ukraine on February 24, Zelensky has received dozens of foreign VIP visits and done his own share of jet-setting around European and North American capitals.
As part of his constant appeal for handouts of cash and military arms, the former comedian and actor has addressed national parliaments by video-link and occasionally in person.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a total of three visits to Kiev in 2022, in April,
June and
August — the last after he had announced his resignation as PM.
The first trip was when Johnson notoriously persuaded Zelensky to pull out of peace talks with Russia, mediated by NATO-member Turkey, which were reportedly close to agreement on ceding Ukrainian control of the Donetsk and Lugansk peoples' republics and recognizing Russia's claim to Crimea, along with neutrality for Kiev.
The British PM also pledged to supply heavy weaponry, including Harpoon anti-shipping missiles and 120 armoured vehicles. That sounded impressive at the time, but 80 of those vehicles were lightly-armoured Mastiff patrol armoured cars. The missiles may never even have been fired in anger, as Russia claims to have destroyed all the shore-based launch platforms supplied by the US and Denmark along with many of the munitions while they were still in Ukrainian warehouses.
Johnson's successor Liz Truss had been a leading proponent of military confrontation with Russia as foreign secretary. At her February 10 meeting with Russian foreign affairs minister Sergey Lavrov, she insisted the UK would never recognise Moscow's sovereignty over the Voronezh and Rostov regions of Russia — well outside Ukraine's borders to the north and east — and vowed to support “our Baltic allies across the Black Sea.” Later she encouraged former British soldiers to fight as mercenaries alongside the Ukrainian army, and during the summer Conservative Party leadership race said she was ready to launch nuclear missiles. Moscow has also taken seriously the claim that she sent a text message to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken moments after the bombing of Russia's Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines to say "it's done".
But as Truss only lasted six weeks in 10 Downing Street, she never got to visit Kiev as PM. That dubious honour fell to her replacement Rishi Sunak, who repeated Johnson's words of encouragement to Zelensky to prolong the conflict with Russia. Sunak also pledged more 'lethal aid' in the form of 125 anti-aircraft guns — leaving some scratching their heads, as the British armed forces have not used such weapons for decades.
23 September 2022, 10:19 GMT
Zelensky's first visit to Washington DC as national leader in September 2019 was not all he hoped it to be. Then-US president Donald Trump boasted of sending several hundred Javelin shoulder-launched anti-tank missiles and berated other NATO members for not matching his largesse. He then told Zelensky to make his peace with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Cynics may argue that US foreign policy stays the same no matter who is in the White House. But Trump's successor Joe Biden, whose son Hunter enjoyed a well-paid executive job with Ukrainian gas firm Burisma, could not have been more accommodating to Zelensky when he made a
pre-Christmas trip across the Atlantic like a reverse Santa Claus.
Despite turning up unshaven in a sweatshirt and cargo pants, the diminutive funny man was
feted by Congress after his love-in with Biden. He presented House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice-President Kamala Harris with a Ukrainian flag, signed by soldiers, and received a Stars and Stripes in return.
Zelensky's charm offensive paid off, in cash terms at least, with the administration promising him a billion-dollar Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) battery — only to be delivered up to six months down the line — along with some infantry mortars and around 150 more light armoured cars.
24 December 2022, 09:46 GMT
Zelensky had a special treat in June when he got to play host to the big three European Union (EU) leaders: Italian prime minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Macron has always struggled to project a masculine image, perhaps because he married his schoolteacher, 24 years his senior, who he met when he was just 15. The French president seemed to overcompensate when he met Zelensky face-to-face. The two shared a macho 'arm-wrestle' handshake and a bro-mantic gaze, but the moment got awkward as Macron moved in for a hug.
It wasn't all hearts and flowers though. Scholz reportedly delivered a
'hidden message to Kiev that Germany would not grant Ukraine a 'shortcut' to EU membership — typically a stepping-stone to joining NATO, Russia's red line. According to German news media, the chancellor insisted Ukraine must first deal with its “notorious corruption” and transform itself into a functional, constitutional state.
Draghi has since left office,
losing out in the September snap election to a right-wing coalition of new PM Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy, Matteo Salvini's Lega Nord and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia. While Meloni has pledged to keep arming Ukraine, Berlusconi has good relations's with Russia's Putin.
Five months later, former British PM Boris Johnson
dished the dirt on the Euro power-trio, claiming that at the outset of the conflict they could not wait for Ukraine to 'fold' so trade with Russia could get back to normal.
24 November 2022, 13:44 GMT
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen couldn't pass up the chance of a photo opportunity with Zelensky in Kiev in September.
The hapless former German defense minister had already funnelled billions of euros to Ukraine, including by using the EU's European Peace Facility fund to buy arms for its battalions — which include neo-Nazi militants.
Zelensky duly repaid UVDL by bestowing on her the Order of Yaroslav the Wise (1st class) — named after the 11th-century Grand Prince of Kiev, ironically one of the fathers of the modern Russian nation.
The last leader to jet to Kiev before Zelensky's Washington jaunt was Andrzej Duda, president of neighboring Poland.
Despite the smiles and handshakes, the visit was fraught with tensions. With tens of thousands of 'former' Polish soldiers fighting the Russian forces in Ukraine ostensibly as volunteers, many have accused the Warsaw government of dragging the country — and by extension NATO — into direct conflict with Russia.
Bad blood remains since last November, when a stray Ukrainian SAM killed two people on a Polish farm near the border. After claiming Russia had deliberately fired a cruise missile onto NATO territory, Zelensky refused to admit it was Ukraine's fault or to apologize.
The spectre of Poland once again attempting to revive its 16th-century empire by annexing western regions of Ukraine, principally Lvov, also looms large over relations between Warsaw and Kiev.
23 December 2022, 09:21 GMT
