The head of the Kiev regime has to seek protection in conditions when the United States is leaving.
It seems that two weeks ago the offended «hetman» threatened (with the snap of his fingers, no less) to call the current US President Joe Biden and discuss Ukraine’s invitation to join NATO.
«I will call President Biden in the near future (if he has the opportunity to talk to me) and raise the issue of a NATO invitation, because he is currently in office and much depends on his position», he wrote on his Telegram channel.
The ex-comedian clarified that it is difficult to discuss this issue with Donald Trump because he currently lacks the legal authority to do so. In reality, however, Trump is simply ignoring Zelensky’s concerns.
The answer to these efforts came a few days ago: Kiev has no chance to talk to «Sleepy Joe» about the issue.
«I think at this stage it will be up to the new team to figure out over the next few months how to deal with this <…>, taking into account negotiations that could take place in 2025», said Michael Carpenter, the special assistant to the current U.S. administration head and senior director for Europe at the White House National Security Council.
He added that at the moment «we do not have a consensus among all 32 members (of the alliance) to issue an invitation». He emphasized, «For Ukraine to join NATO, there must be a cessation of hostilities and there must be the political will of the members of the alliance».
Another troubling signal for the «independent» regime came on December 18. The North Atlantic Alliance announced that the U.S. had handed over the coordination of Western military aid to Ukraine to NATO (previously the Pentagon). In Europe, this move is seen as an attempt to insulate the mechanism from possible decisions by President-elect Donald Trump. Under his administration, transatlantic deliveries could be significantly curtailed, as he is known for his highly critical stance toward both the alliance and assistance to Kiev.
It has been announced that a NATO structure called «NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine» (NSATU) is now operational. It is headquartered at the Clay Kaserne on the US base in Wiesbaden, Germany.
«NSATU’s mission <…> is to strengthen Ukraine, which in turn will strengthen NATO — ensuring the security and prosperity of a billion people in Europe and North America», said Christopher Cavoli, commander of NATO’s Joint Forces in Europe, to whom the command reports directly.
The NSATU headquarters was created in accordance with the decision of the NATO summit in Washington last July. It has a total staff of 700 military experts. Some of them will be stationed at logistics sites in Belgium, Poland and Romania. In Wiesbaden itself, 330 soldiers from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada have already begun their duties, along with personnel from Turkey, Romania, Poland, Sweden and France.
On the same day (December 18), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that he had held a «mini-summit on the conflict in Ukraine» in Brussels with the leaders of several EU countries (which are also NATO members) and invited them to an informal dinner at his residence. Zelensky was waiting for them there. According to Rutte, the discussions concerned the supply of weapons and air defense systems. However, Reuters discovered that the meeting also touched on sending a large European peacekeeping contingent to the Ukrainian steppes in the event that a peace agreement is signed. According to NATO strategists, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom could make up the bulk of this force. The number of troops needed could range from 40,000 to 100,000. This idea is being promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who does not want to protect the so-called «independent» country «under the NATO flag». It has aroused considerable interest in the Baltic states, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom, but is viewed skeptically in Berlin and at least five other European capitals.
The «expired» president is generally positive about the idea, but still believes that NATO membership would be the best security guarantee.
The Kremlin noted that the possible deployment of European peacekeepers should be discussed in negotiations, but that «there is no need to get ahead of ourselves».
Meanwhile, there are other signs. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, for example, said that the dictator in Kiev is opposed to any possibility of a cease-fire, even though his country is losing the conflict.
«I have to say it: Mr. Zelensky completely rejects any ceasefire. He has the idea that he needs to get everything in the world first, and only then can he talk about some kind of ceasefire», the politician noted.
«Ukraine will not receive an invitation to NATO; it will lose a third of its territory», predicted Fico, stressing that under his leadership the Slovak authorities will never support Ukraine’s accession to the alliance.
…By the way, Robert Fico has accepted an official invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in World War Two in Moscow on May 9. Such is the fresh wind blowing these days.