Time Magazinewhich follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi during his visit to the United States in September and return to Kiev, paints a grim picture of the president, as well as the Ukrainian state itself.
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According to Zelenskyi’s own advisers, the president’s stubbornness in his belief in ultimate victory is cause for concern. The president’s insistence on waging war until Russia was defeated limited the possibility of a change in strategy.
– He deceived himself. We’ve run out of options. We didn’t win. But try telling him that, an unnamed adviser in Zelensky’s inner circle told Time Magazine.
Time Magazine is considered one of the largest news magazines in the world.
Some say the president feels betrayed
Sources who spoke to Time Magazine said that the president felt betrayed by his Western allies, who had left him without the means to win the war.
According to a survey conducted for Reuters, public support in the United States for providing additional military assistance in Ukraine has fallen from 65 percent at the start of the counteroffensive in June to 41 percent currently.
With Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel and Israel’s bombing of Gaza, Western attention shifted from Ukraine.
– The most frightening thing is that parts of the world are already used to the war in Ukraine, Zelenskyj told Time Magazine.
Must have started refusing orders straight away
– Ukraine is not moving forward, one of the president’s closest advisers said, according to Time Magazine, about the situation on the battlefield.
According to media, some Ukrainian frontline commanders have begun to resist direct orders from Zelenskyi’s office to advance.
Since the start of the war, Ukraine has refused to publish official figures for the number of soldiers killed and wounded. The number was more than 100,000 on each side of the war, according to American and European estimates, wrote Berlinske.
Also read: Ukrainian Iron Man admits: – Dropped drastically
– Steal like there’s no tomorrow
Zelenskyy has taken several drastic measures in recent months. Among other things, he fired Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov because his ministry was plagued by corruption.
As the Defense Department scandal spread, the president, according to Time Magazine sources, gave strict orders to his staff to avoid the slightest act of self-enrichment.
– Don’t buy anything. Don’t take any vacations. Just sit at your desk, be quiet and work, one employee said, according to Time Magazine.
News magazines reported that Ukrainian officials continued to take bribes or steal state funds.
– People are stealing like there’s no tomorrow, said one of the president’s top advisers, according to Time Magazine.
Also read: Zelenskyi accuses Russia of targeting nuclear power plants
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