How the world loved him! We couldn’t get enough of him: that dear, sweet man — a professional entertainer, charming, witty, outspoken, honorable, instantly likable. Suddenly thrust into a presidency for which he was only partly prepared; faced with an invasion that no one foresaw until it was gathering on his doorstep.

Suddenly he was everywhere: in a bunker, in a hospital cheering up the wounded, in the streets encouraging his people, in the trenches encouraging his soldiers. Discarding the suit and tie, living in his now-signature khakis, growing a beard. Visiting the countries all too eager to help out, to save his beloved Ukraine from the Russian invaders . . . from the hell of war. Stepping up and doing the job with a courage and fortitude few had believed possible. Inspiring a nation and a world.

It all began in February of 2022. It was supposed to be over quickly. The Russian leader bragged that the Ukrainian people would welcome him as their “saviour,” that he would “rescue” them from the “Nazis and fascists” that only exist in his mind; and that within days, or a couple of weeks at most, he would have “reclaimed” the Ukraine he believed was rightfully Russia’s. But he didn’t count on Volodymyr Zelensky, or on the Ukrainian people’s determination to hold onto the country they love. Nor did he count on the unity of the West, the NATO nations that banded together to help an ally that wasn’t yet a member of their alliance. Vladimir Putin had seriously miscalculated. And so, twenty months later, Russia’s “special military operation” — Putin’s war of attrition — slogs on, mired in a bloodbath of their own making.

And where is Zelensky today? Still there, still standing strong against his enemy, still resolved to save his country from the invaders. But twenty months of war will inevitably bring changes. Daily bombings, missile strikes, death, destruction, hunger, privation. Optimism vanishes, hope fades, weariness settles in. Cities are decimated, families are broken — what is there left to fight for? Can even the strength of their President keep them going? Does he have any strength of his own left to share with them?

As long as he had the Western nations standing firmly behind him, he was a bastion of strength, of determination, of hope. But what is happening to the support he depended upon all these past months? Where are the Ukrainian flags flying in neighborhoods and town squares all over the world? The civilian groups collecting food, clothing, household goods for the refugees? The borders opening to admit those refugees? The world’s anger at this unnecessary suffering? Have we simply wearied of a war that isn’t “ours”?

And where is the international support from all of those allied nations? Why is it slacking off? Are countries simply running out of missiles, and planes, and tanks, and weaponry . . . and money? Or are they just running out of interest in a war that isn’t “theirs”?

And where is the daily press coverage? The live reports from the front, the brave men and women of the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera? They haven’t suddenly gone chicken, have they?

Absolutely not. But here’s what has happened:

Hamas invaded Israel; and Israel retaliated. That’s what is different from just a month ago. The focus has shifted. The world suddenly has more of its children to care for, and we’re all spread too thin. The money, the weapons, the aid workers . . . they can only stretch so far. Our attention is divided between two fronts; we’re desperately needed in two places at once, and we’re having trouble handling it.

There are those — even in the U.S. Congress! — who want to give Ukraine short shrift, rationalizing that the war in the Middle East will have more far-reaching consequences and is thus more important. But they’re wrong. Because the two wars are not disconnected. Behind both lurks the ominous presence of a terrifying triumvirate: Russia, China, and North Korea. Determined to rule the world, to create a “new world order” based on their demented vision. And countries and organizations such as Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah, are all too willing to be the pawns on their global chessboard. And too many people just . . . don’t . . . get it.

And caught in the squeeze is President Volodymyr Zelensky, who, after 20 months of living in hell, must surely be nearing the limits of his strength, his optimism, and his hope. He is said recently to have changed. He is “angry with allies and no longer optimistic, but continues to believe in Ukraine’s victory.” [Simon Shuster, Time, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda, Oct. 30, 2023.] Mr. Shuster tells of a conversation with a longtime member of Zelensky’s team, revealing that Zelensky’s “usual sparkle of . . . optimism, his sense of humor, his tendency to liven up a meeting in the war room with a bit of banter or a bawdy joke . . . [are gone]. Now he walks in, gets the updates, gives the orders, and walks out.” His team members feel that his convictions haven’t changed; in fact, they’ve hardened. Some believe that he is deluding himself, that “We’re out of options. We’re not winning. But try telling him that.”

*. *. *

So that’s where Zelensky is now. Not missing, but lost in a different sense. And if he cannot stay the course, and Ukraine is ultimately lost to the red menace from the East, it is we in the West who have allowed it to happen. It is we who have been misled, who have incorrectly read the signals that have been in front of us for years.

It is not Zelensky who will have failed his people; it is we who will have failed Zelensky.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/1/23