2023-12-12 02:08:07
As reported by The Guardian, allies of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban traveled to Washington to participate in a meeting with members of the Republican Party, with the aim of promoting the cessation of US military support for Ukraine. This two-day meeting, held behind closed doors and organized by the Heritage Foundation think tank, featured Hungarian officials and academics to discuss the Ukrainian conflict and other relevant issues.
The situation in Washington is tense regarding the future of Ukraine, especially after Republican senators recently blocked passage of a bill to finance the Ukraine conflict. Orban, known for his critical stance on support for Ukraine and his alliance with Putin, is trying to block European Union aid and opposes Ukraine’s entry into the EU. A diplomatic source close to the Hungarian embassy said that Orban is convinced that the US Congress will not approve aid to Ukraine, which is why he is trying to block EU support as well.
The Heritage Foundation, which organized the event, it has spoken out against American aid to Ukraine and its leaders have praised Orban’s policies. The Hungarian embassy in Washington is actively working with the Republicans, although the embassy’s actual influence on American financing of Ukraine remains uncertain.
Ukrainian President Zelensky will also be in the States on Tuesday
Zelensky will also meet with some Congress leaders on Tuesday. Biden will host Zelensky on Tuesday”to highlight the United States’ continued commitment to supporting the Ukrainian people as they defend themselves from Russia’s brutal invasion“said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.
As reported by the Financial Times, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyj’s communication strategy is based on maintaining an optimistic message, both in Ukraine and abroad, under the motto “we are moving forward”. This approach is adopted at all levels of government, from ministries to local administrations to the military command, and involves strict censorship of negative news, such as the number of Ukrainian victims or Russian military successes.
However, this communication policy is creating a rift between the presidential administration and the military leadership, especially given the limited military successes. “We must be more realistic and courageous, as we were on February 24th [2022],” said a member of the president’s communications team. Military leaders, for their part, believe that the discrepancy between official statements and reality on the ground is becoming less and less convincing, motivating neither the Ukrainian population nor its Western partners.
Zelenskyj, however, is convinced that a positive message is essential to maintain the trust of Western allies and Ukrainian businesses, the latter fundamental for the tax revenues necessary for the war effort. “If we become pessimistic, we risk that people will stop investing and paying taxes in Ukraine, thus compromising our ability to continue fighting,” one official said.
Ukrainian military commander Valerii Zaluzhny’s frankness in an article for The Economist surprised many in Ukraine and abroad, so much so that some Western leaders contacted Kiev for clarification, questioning whether negotiations could become a priority. According to Irina Zolotar, head of communications at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the current communications strategy leaves Western audiences perplexed, wondering why they should continue to invest resources if Ukraine always seems to be “on the verge of winning.”
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