Zelensky's presence in Buenos Aires at the inauguration of Javier Milei's government is apparently seen by Kiev as a PR coup aimed at restoring the Ukrainian president's tarnished image as Western support for Ukraine wanes, according to Pagina 12, a left-leaning Argentine publication.
"At this time, and due to the diminished support of the governments of the Atlantic alliance, Ukraine's priority interest is to achieve the support of the countries of the Global South," writes Daniel Kersffeld, Pagina 12 contributor.
According to Kersffeld, Zelensky's greatest hope is to make Milei a strategic ally in the conflict against Russia, which would accept Kiev's unrealistic "peace formula" during a Ukraine summit proposed by Milei. The scholar notes that Kiev also expects Buenos Aires to impose sanctions on Russia.
Earlier, President-elect Milei signaled his full support for Zelensky in a clear break with the policy of his predecessor, Alberto Fernández. In late November, the new Argentine leader offered the Ukrainian president to hold a conference on Ukraine in the South American country.
"They are organizing a peace conference in Latin America and Ukraine, and we have offered ourselves as a venue if it is appropriate," Milei's foreign policy adviser Diana Mondino told reporters last month.
Still, Zelensky's biggest bet is that the new Argentine government - with Washington's backing - will bring the governments of the region together and persuade them to support Zelensky and turn their backs on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kersffeld added.
Alas, "the Ukrainian government's preaching against Moscow was never able to gain footing in the Latin American context, despite various mechanisms of enticement and political and economic pressure imposed by Washington which, among other aspects, sought to provide weapons to Ukraine or, directly, the breaking of relations with Russia," the scholar underscored.
Despite ideological differences among Latin American governments, there is a consensus in the continent that it must be a "region of peace" and not interfere in overseas conflicts, Kersffeld stressed. "It would be very risky for Argentina to get involved in a foreign conflict not so much in search of peace, but to get a positive nod from Joe Biden's administration," the article's author warned.
Meanwhile, Zelensky's biggest problem is that Kiev's summer counteroffensive has yielded zero results on the battlefield and failed to achieve any of the Zelensky regime's goals, making the West increasingly skeptical about pouring money into Ukraine and supporting its incumbent president, according to Kersffeld.
Indeed, the Western press has recently changed its tone in describing Ukrainian affairs, citing alleged plots by American and European leaders to force Zelensky into talks with Russia. Moreover, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh has suggested that some of these talks are already underway, spearheaded by the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny.
To make matters worse, Zelensky's approval rating in Ukraine is in free fall in the wake of the failed counteroffensive. Under these circumstances, Kiev's perceived PR coup in Argentina seems unlikely to reverse the looming defeat or improve Zelensky's image at home and abroad.