Courage, the man undoubtedly has. But he lacks the ammunition for his frontline fighters. So it’s only logical, then, that Volodymyr Zelenskiy (44) snuck out of his country on dangerous routes in the middle of the week and flew to Washington, where they supposedly have both in abundance: ammunition anyway – and as the war progresses, the courage to face it to resist the Russian terror.
The reception for the “hero” from the oppressed country could not have been more honorable: red carpet at the airport, smiling American president in front of the White House, standing ovations at the Capitol, where – apart from a few representatives of the right – wing edge of the Republican Party – the entire US parliament gathered in rare unity to pay tribute to Zelensky.
But Selenski was hoping for more than just warm applause from his perilous overseas journey. He made that abundantly clear in his nearly half-hour speech to the US Congress. “Without your support, we cannot reverse this war,” said the Ukrainian president, who addressed the US political elite in a brown Ukraine jersey and with a tired look. “Your money is not charity, it is an investment in global security and democracy!”
Selenski’s Unfulfilled Wish to the US
On the same day, the United States put together a new military aid package worth about $1.8 billion. Included in the early Christmas package is the Patriot air defense system: a potential game changer that, starting next spring, will enable Ukraine to fend off continued missile and drone attacks by Russian forces. Kiev’s demand for a country-wide airlock zone (“Close the sky!”) has been met with the latest US commitments. Kiev can count on further US aid to the amount of about 45 billion Swiss francs next year.
That’s a lot of money – too much if you ask around conservative Republican circles. People want to get rid of the “blank checks” for the Ukrainians, recently said Kevin McCarthy, 57, who is soon to become majority leader in the future Republican-dominated House of Representatives. But in Selenski’s eyes, it’s not enough. The ex-comedian was deadly serious when he made it clear midweek in Washington that his men and women in uniform “can operate American tanks and fighter jets with ease.”
Russia holds the nuclear trump card
But “Uncle Sam” is not sending tanks or fighter jets to Ukraine, despite all the pleas from distant fronts. You can forgive the Americans for that. We Swiss do not even supply helmets or bulletproof vests to valiantly fighting Ukraine. But the American reluctance to use heavy artillery has nothing to do with a so-called declaration of neutrality, as in the case of Helvetia.
Fortunately, despite the miserable behavior of the Russian troops, Washington has not yet forgotten that the neo-Tsarist Kremlin regime is, sadly, a nuclear power that, at least on a verbal level, does not shy away from threatening the West with a nuclear firestorm.
So stick with it: no tanks and no fighter jets, despite Zelensky’s charismatic presentation.
Switzerland is not doing enough
After ten months in the ring with the Russians, the Ukraine is back freshly groomed – but only as strong as it takes to survive the next round. Dealing a hard blow and putting the eastern terrorists in their sad place once and for all, even the best air defense systems and generous humanitarian pledges are not enough.
The fight will drag on for many more deadly rounds. Unfortunately, Europe has enough time to contemplate the incitement to war a little longer and to consider whether it might want to follow the American example and step up its own efforts in this assault on our democracy. (This does not include Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Norway and the Czech Republic, which already provide more support than the US in terms of their total economic output.)
Switzerland can ask itself this question with confidence. New Year’s Eve offers the perfect frame of reflection for this. Not that we haven’t done anything. 80 million Ukraine aid, Russian sanctions supported, tens of thousands of people admitted and a somewhat utopian-looking reconstruction conference last summer in Lugano TI: that counts for something. And that Switzerland gets involved where it can work most efficiently with its expertise (about 14 million in support for Ukrainian railways), well thought out. Except it’s not enough to end this wretched war. This tragic year has made that abundantly clear to us.