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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]And before he became a president, he was a great comedian, like Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. This is one of his most famous videos (yes, it's not very polite, but it's very funny): 
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oua0Puihrkc[/url][/quote]

My son, 16, just watched this over my shoulder and asked: "And on that basis he was elected President?"

Hmmm...[/quote]

So you and your son think you are smarter than 70% of the voters in Ukraine ?[/quote]

Zelenskyy's comedy also included a lot of astute political commentary.  Yes, he did win a popular election, but his skeptics and critics were like the 16-year-old son and called him the "TV President" but with the leadership he's shown in the face of the invasion, he has gained massive, almost universal popularity within Ukraine.[/quote]

Is is great leadership? Zelensky is an incredible, brave person, but I think his naivety is one of the ingredients leading to this situation. The outcome is most likely going to be virtually the same deal that could have been obtained from Russia prior to the outset of the war: an agreement to remain neutral in the struggle between Russia and the West, and an agreement to stay out of NATO.

Nothing will be gained in this fight, yet much will be lost. Don't get me wrong -- he is a remarkably brave person. But Putin is getting old, and it would have been wiser to simply wait him out, while quietly -- as opposed to overtly and brazenly -- developing a relationship with the West. The strategic partnership that Ukraine signed with the US on Nov 10, 2021, was a reckless move -- rather like declaring that Ukraine is engaged to the US, and will get married in the near future. A smarter strategy would have been to quietly build up Ukraine's military capabilities with help from the US, rather than to openly declare this intention.  [/quote]

Prior to the invasion, Zelenskyy's popularity in Ukraine was not high.  He was seen as too conciliatory towards Russia, seeking compromise with the neighboring country rather than being a hardliner.

Neither Ukraine nor Zelenskyy are to blame for Russia's belligerence.  Nor NATO nor the US etc.[/quote]

But Zelensky signed off on the Nov 10, 2021 strategic partnership. That was clearly an aggressive move in the eyes of the Russian government. It is worth reading the agreement:

[url]
https://www.state.gov/u-s-ukraine-charter-on-strategic-partnership/
[/url]

And why did the US telegraph its moves like this? The build-up of the Ukraine military should have been handled covertly, to the extent possible. 
[/quote]

I’ve read this.  There is really nothing objectionable here. Nothing offensive - only defensive. Seeks to hold RUS accountable for violations of international law. Affirms UKR territorial integrity. Affirms right of UKR to decide without outside interference about its foreign policy choices. Affirms their NATO cooperation, which they have had for a long time and was a sort of compromise position after Maidan (to be a NATO cooperating country instead of a NATO member). [/quote]

And do you think a member of the Russian government would share your view? I think the language would be considered threatening from the Russian perspective.[/quote]

Wtf - Russia already stole Crimea[/quote]

Yes, but in the Russians' view, the rightful leader of Ukraine was pushed out by an unlawful revolution (perhaps with CIA involvement), and the unlawful govt that took over wanted to cancel the lease for the Crimea base, which would have been a huge strategic loss for Russia. I am not saying that I agree with this analysis, but I believe it is the Russian view of events. Also, what do you think the U.S. would have done were we faced with the loss of critical military base? My guess is that we would have found some way to keep it in our possession.[/quote]

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