Zelensky’s latest idea of peace will definitely crack you up!
He has pitched the idea of mutually suspending long-range strikes against energy infrastructure with Russia.
Financial Times reported that Zelensky now doesn’t want to attack Russian energy sites to end the war’s hot phase.
He said, “We saw during the first summit that there could be a decision on energy security. In other words, we do not attack their energy infrastructures, they don’t attack ours. Could this lead to the end of the war’s hot phase? I think so.”
But wait Mr Zelensky, were you yourself not knocking the doors of every Western nation to seek permission for long-range strikes inside Russia until early October? Zelensky travelled from Washington to Rome to Berlin, with just one agenda in mind: He wanted those nations to let Kyiv fire long-range missiles deep inside Russia.
In fact, Ukraine had even shared a list of potential Russian targets with UK. Quite premature celebration or preparation there! But guess what, Zelensky was snubbed by everyone.
Germany has still not delivered long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, which can hit targets as far as 500km away. Despite pressure from Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far refused to oblige, citing escalation concerns and arguing that the deliveries would only be “tenable” if Berlin could decide the targets itself, which would make it a direct participant in the war.
In fact, Italy too rejected Ukraine’s demands. Instead, Italy’s foreign minister said, “We are not fighting against Russia. We are defending Ukraine.” PM Meloni had even also slammed the NATO chief for saying allies should provide long-range support to Ukraine.
In the end, Zelensky got bad news from the horse’s mouth, the US. In his so-called victory plan, Zelensky had asked the US to provide it with long-range support. But Joe Biden appeared to have had enough of the comedian. The president even cancelled a meeting with Zelensky.
So, when no one entertained Zelensky’s hefty demands, he is now singing the tunes of peace with Russia.
Russia has consistently attacked Ukraine’s energy grid with missiles and drones, aiming to halt Ukraine’s weapons production.
Now, Ukraine is facing a severe energy crisis that could get worse as winter approaches. Estimates suggest the country has lost between 50% and 80% of its ability to produce electricity, making it hard to prepare for the cold season, which can be extremely harsh in this part of Eastern Europe. Back in August, Ukraine’s Energy Minister, German Galushchenko, warned that the coming winter would be the toughest yet because of ongoing power outages.
Some officials in Ukraine have now openly criticized the government for not doing enough to prepare for winter. Prime Minister Denis Shmigal recently admitted that energy resilience is a major challenge for Ukraine as the country heads into the cold season. He said, “We’ve made it through three winters, but this one may be the hardest.”
Even if there are no more major attacks, energy outages lasting several hours are expected by November, and lengthy blackouts could occur by December and January. These outages could affect water supplies, industries, and daily life.
It’s clear, Ukraine is bracing for mother nature’s wrath now. And Zelensky has realised, only Putin can save his nation now.