You don’t bite the hands that feed you! It’s not rocket science, it’s common sense! But as they say, common sense is not so common! And that’s why, of all the nations, Zelensky found only the American soil to hatch the eggs of animosity.
Thanks to an unending list of blunders made by Zelensky as he toured US at the end of September, lots of leaders from the Grand Old Party, including Donald Trump Jr, now see Zelensky as their enemy. Enemy is a strong word, but I still chose to go ahead with it.
Here are three major blunders that Zelensky made during his US tour that have helped Kyiv earn lots of new enemies in Washington DC.
- Calling JD Vance too radical: Zelensky in an interview had described Donald Trump’s running mate Vance as too radical. The former comedian thought he would get away with anything, unless GOP leaders decided to teach him a lesson of his life.
JD Vance had just argued for negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, even if it involves ceding territory. But Zelensky was soon shown his place after he overstepped the red line by directly attacking the potential next VP of the US. Donald Trump Jr lambasted the comedian for meddling in US domestic affairs, asserting that it is unacceptable for a foreign leader dependent on American taxpayers’ money to speak out against GOP leaders.
- Zelensky acted like a Democratic campaigner: During his week-long stay in US, Zelensky also visited Pennsylvania along with the Democratic governor. The duo visited a defense manufacturing plant, met workers there and offered them their support, all unfolded in front of cameras. It looked like a campaign event for the Democratic party, with the spotlight shining on Zelensky. This irked the GOP big time. Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri, a Trump supporter, remarked that Zelensky’s visit appeared to be a campaign event for Democrats in a key battleground state ahead of the presidential election. Sean Parnell, a former Senate candidate from Pennsylvania and also a Trump supporter, labeled Zelensky’s visit as “foreign interference in our election.” Following these blunders, even Trump had to announce in a rally that Zelensky was hoping for Kamala Harris’s victory because that is what will help him keep the things as they are and keep his war machinery up and running. Republican Majority Leader in the House Mike Johnson went even further, refusing to meet with Zelensky and demanding that he dismiss his ambassador in Washington for organizing a visit to Pennsylvania without Republican participation.
Victory plan: Another major purpose of Zelensky’s visit was to present US leader Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris with the so-called victory plan. The Americans and Western Europeans expected Kiev to present them with a clear vision of victory and a roadmap for achieving it. Instead, Zelensky brought a list of “demands” that the US and EU should fulfill.
Number 1 demand: The West should ramp up financial and economic aid to Kyiv.
Number 2 demand: Ukraine should be allowed into NATO and EU.
Number 3 demand: West should allow long-range missile strikes deep into Russia. The demands, which looked more like a to-do list for the West and less like a victory plan, turned off Washington DC big time.
So much so, that after GOP leaders, now even Joe Biden appeared to have had enough of the comedian. The president even cancelled a meeting with Zelensky which was earlier scheduled for the next week.
Well, it took Zelensky’s one trip to the US to bring both Biden and Trump on the same page on the issue of Ukraine. Both of them seemed to agree that this comedian is good for nothing and it’s high Washington formulate a new Ukraine policy.
