Peace never got a chance. . .
The Pope came forward to mediate, Zelensky refused, but the last sentence was not for the Pope
On his way to Italy, Zelensky met with Pope Francis, who intends to act as an intermediary in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. But Zelensky's speech poured cold water on countries looking forward to peace.
Rejection of the Pope's mediation of the conflict, Zelensky has something to say
Recently, Zelensky was visiting Italy and had a meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican . Previously, he had repeatedly expressed his willingness to act as a mediator in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine , but the Ukrainian side has been reluctant to communicate with the Russian side. Therefore, the result of this meeting is also predictable.
Afterwards, Zelensky said in an interview that what Ukraine needs now is not a mediator, but a real public peace . In addition, Zelensky also specifically emphasized that he believes that Pope Francis cannot reach an agreement with Putin at all, and no country in the world can do this .
And this last sentence is obviously meant for countries that want to persuade Russia and Ukraine to make peace. It means that he has no intention of reconciliation, and he does not believe that anyone can persuade Putin. But don't forget that the reason why countries are willing to come forward is to fulfill the obligations of a big country, which shows that everyone insists on standing on the side of peace . But if Zelensky is determined to continue the war, it is also a matter for his own country.
Zelensky's change of attitude is related to the following reasons:
Prior to this, China, Brazil, Turkey and other countries all proposed to act as mediators. Zelensky also asked China to talk to China several times. Ambassador to China . Now that China has just started to act, Zelensky has changed his attitude and is unwilling to accept mediation, mainly because of these two reasons.
First of all, in order to increase the winning rate of the counterattack, Zelensky started a new round of "help-seeking" visits, and gained a lot. The five Nordic countries agreed to give Ukraine more military assistance and help Ukraine rebuild after the war. At the same time, the United States also announced a military aid worth US$1.2 billion , covering a range of weapons such as tanks, armored vehicles and air defense systems.
Even Germany, which has always been unwilling to be the first bird, once again provided Ukraine with an aid worth 2.7 billion euros. This is also the largest military aid provided by Germany since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. At the same time, the United Kingdom directly delivered a batch of "Storm Shadow" cruise missiles to Ukraine , which increased the range enough to hit the Russian mainland. It is the strongest missile provided by NATO so far .
In addition, due to the internal contradictions between the "Wagner" group and the Russian army, the Ukrainian army seized the opportunity and regained a combat area of about 3 square kilometers. Army's confidence. Coupled with the continuous assistance from the West, Zelensky naturally does not want to succumb to Russia at this point.
Another situation is that the Western countries did not want the Russia-Ukraine conflict to end, so they deliberately chose to increase their firepower when the peace talks were just beginning to emerge . However, at this time and at that time, if Western aid is not delivered in time, the situation will immediately develop in a direction that is not conducive to Ukraine. The parties involved in promoting peace are not always patient, and Zelensky still needs to think carefully about the pros and cons.
UK pledges more military aid for Ukraine as Zelamid Zelensky’s European tour
President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Britain on Monday on his whirlwind European tour, as the staunch ally of Kyiv promised to give Ukraine hundreds more missiles and attack drones in an effort to change the course of the war.
Zelensky landed by helicopter at Chequers, the British leader’s official country retreat, and was greeted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. It is Zelensky’s second trip to the UK since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
This is the fourth European country that Zelensky has visited in the past few days. He is seeking more aid as Ukraine prepares a long-anticipated spring offensive to retake territory seized by Russia.
Ukraine’s leader made an unannounced visit to Paris on Sunday evening to meet French President Emmanuel Macron, after trips to Germany and Italy, where he met those countries’ leaders and Pope Francis.
A message posted Monday on Zelensky’s official Telegram channel said: “Today – London. The UK is leading the way when it comes to expanding our capabilities on the ground and in the air. This cooperation will continue today. I will meet my friend Rishi. We will conduct substantive negotiations face-to-face and in delegations.”
The UK has become one of Ukraine’s major military allies, sending Kyiv short-range missiles and Challenger tanks and training 15,000 Ukrainian troops on British soil. Last week Britain announced it had sent Ukraine Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which have a range of more than 250km (150 miles) – the first known shipment of the weaponry that Kyiv has long sought from its allies.
Sunak’s office said that on Monday that Britain will confirm it is giving Ukraine hundreds more air defence missiles, as well as “long-range attack drones” with a range of more than 200km.
“This is a crucial moment in Ukraine’s resistance to a terrible war of aggression they did not choose or provoke,” Sunak said. “They need the sustained support of the international community to defend against the barrage of unrelenting and indiscriminate attacks that have been their daily reality for over a year.
“We must not let them down.”
Sunak will also push allies to deliver more support to Ukraine at a meeting of Group of Seven leaders in Japan later this week, Downing Street said.
As Zelensky visited European capitals, Russia stepped up attacks across Ukraine with drones and missiles over the weekend. On Sunday, Russia shelled two communities in the northern border region of Sumy, the region’s military administration said in a statement on its official Telegram channel. It said 109 explosions were recorded.
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