As happens with all politicians who achieve success on the wave of popular euphoria, for Zelensky, his political honeymoon is now over.As reported by Adrian Karatnycky and Alexander J. Motyl, (below)
"... Zelensky has himself to blame if the mood is souring. His decision to
appoint politically inexperienced personnel to key posts is taking its
toll, overshadowing the optimism that accompanied his victory. Mistakes and missteps have become all too frequent, especially in parliament and government. Confusion in the corridors of power abounds, including in some legislative committees and in several ministries and government agencies." (Foreign Policy : 26 February 2020) (my emphasis)
- The share of voters who believe Ukraine is heading in the right direction has dropped from 57 percent in September 2019 to only 25 percent today
- Over the same period, the share of voters who say the country is moving in the wrong direction has risen from 17 to 53 percent.
- Today, only 21 percent believe Ukraine will be able to surmount its many challenges in the next few years (ibid Adrian Karatnycky and Alexander J. Motyl)
For Zelensky, this souring mood of the Ukrainian public against his political actions and judgement is being further compounded by the perceived implication, rightly or wrongly, that he now seems to be fulfilling the wishes of Trump, expressed during that fateful call between the two of them in July of last year, that he should institute a public investigation into Joe Biden, Trump's possible nemesis candidate in the 2020 US presidential elections. (note: Only 8 months away!)
As reported by Volodymyr Petrov"Ukrainian courts opened criminal probes against Joe Biden (R) after former Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, central to spreading disinformation about Biden to the U.S., filed multiple appeals. (left: Shokin and Biden)
....
Now, a former Ukrainian prosecutor general [Viktor Shokin], whose allegations underpinned Trump’s efforts, has succeeded: He managed to get two criminal probes opened against Biden. He did it through multiple appeals to a Ukrainian court." (Kyiv Post : 27 February 2020) (my emphasis)
That Trump is feverishly ramping up his attacks on Biden is best exemplified by his most ardent supporter and top lieutenant in the US Congress, Devin Nunes.
As early as September of last year (2019), David Krayden reported that,
"Republican California Rep. Devin Nunes predicts former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign will be over if his activities in Ukraine are fully revealed." (DailyCaller : 22 September 2019) (my emphasis)
Fast forward to a few days ago (29 February 2020) and, as reported by David Krayden,
"Republican California Rep. Devin Nunes on Friday pointed a finger at Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party after being asked if a new Ukrainian investigation into former prosecutor Viktor Shokin has any relation to President Donald Trump’s July 2019 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky." (DailyCaller : 29 February 2020) (my emphasis)
Nunes is now in the awkward situation of trying to desperately cover up Trump's 'shakedown' of Zelensky during that fateful July 2019 call between Trump and Zelensky.
Added to which Biden, Trump's nemesis potential opponent in the 2020 presidential race, has shot into second place, very close behind Putin's favoured Democratic choice, Bernie Sanders, in the Democratic Party nomination-race for their prospective 2020 Presidential Candidate nominee.
Adding fuel to the fire for Zelensky, The Manila Bulletin (Reuters) reports that,
"A source told Reuters that [Ukraine's Prime Minister] Honcharuk (left) [a critic of Zelensky's economic policy] was set to leave but gave no further details. Neither Honcharuk’s office nor Zelenskiy’s office responded to requests for comment. Zelenskiy has convened a special parliament meeting on Wednesday.Replacing Honcharuk would come at a time when confidence in Zelenskiy’s government has fallen since the actor and comedian won a landslide election victory last year promising to end the war in the Donbass and tackle corruption." (Manila Bulletin: 29 February 2020) (my emphasis)
Adding yet more fuel to the fire for Zelensky, UNIAN reports that,
"Russia-led forces in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, mounted 19 attacks on Ukrainian positions on February 29, as a result of which two members of Ukraine's Joint Forces (JFO) were wounded in action, and another one sustained combat-related injuries. Joint Forces Operation (JFO) update on March 1." (UNIAN : 1 March 2020) (my emphasis)
This escalation of his war with Ukraine no doubt stems from Putin's deepening anxieties about the falling price of oil in light of the global spread of the Covid-19 virus.As reported by Cathy Bussewitz,
"Oil prices fell dramatically in mid-February, but had been steadily climbing back as the number of new cases of the virus in China slowed. In the last week, however, reports of the spreading virus knocked prices down.
...
The Financial Times reported that Saudi Arabia is pushing for deep cuts in oil production to help stabilize prices in the face of falling demand.
Brent crude, the international standard, dropped 14 per cent for the week to its lowest levels since July 2017, closing Friday at $50.52 a barrel." (Global News : 29 February 2020) (my emphasis)
Putin is highly mindful of the fact that at $40 a barrel his Russian economy will implode!
How, then, will Zelensky react to a Putin who now feels himself caught in an economic vice?
Indeed, if the Biden surge topples Putin's and Trump's favourite candidate, Bernie Sanders, for the Democratic Party 2020 presidential nomination, will Zelensky change his tune towards desiring a meeting with Trump?
For Zelensky, the honeymoon is over.
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