washington: The end goal was made crystal clear by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a virtual address to the U.N. General Assembly last week. Rejecting making concessions to the Kremlin, he urged the international community to punish Russia for its invasion of his nation and the alleged atrocities its forces are alleged to have committed since, and he requested military assistance to help "return the Ukrainian flag to the entire territory."
Zelensky predicted that "Russia will be compelled to put an end to this war, the war it started." "I disqualify the possibility of a different basis for the settlement."
After finishing his remarks, the Ukrainian president received a rare standing ovation, demonstrating the support the world has for his cause. Ukrainian officials had reason to feel encouraged after diplomats repeatedly scolded Russia at the UN, despite Kyiv's frustration with the "nonaligned" world's ambivalence. Many of these nations have maintained friendly relations with Moscow as the war raged. The unease with Moscow increased after it ordered the partial mobilisation of some 300,000 additional Russian troops and approved illegal, sham "referendums" in regions of Ukraine under its control last week.
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Even more so-called "neutral" nations expressed their opposition to a Russian military campaign that is widely believed to be in violation of international law and U.N. Charter principles. "The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected," insisted Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, his Indian counterpart, issued a caution against "egregious attacks committed in broad daylight" going "unpunished."
But even as Russia's standing abroad continues to deteriorate, Ukraine may have cause to be concerned about changes in the democracies of the West. Since the rise in energy prices and long-standing mistrust of the liberal establishment in Brussels and Washington, analysts have been concerned about the West's ability to defend Ukraine. Now that we are approaching the eighth month of the conflict, that resolve has largely held. However, polls indicate waning support for Ukraine among some voters, not the least because of domestic economic difficulties.
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Political groups that have historically been Russia-friendly and Euroskeptic are currently experiencing a mini-surge in popularity. The far right has assumed the role of kingmaker in Sweden's ongoing coalition negotiations. A coalition of right-wing parties led by the extreme right Brothers of Italy and the charismatic politician Giorgia Meloni was also likely elected by Italian voters on Sunday.
In recent months, Meloni herself has supported Kiev rhetorically, but important allies have been open about their support for the Kremlin. The leader of the nativist League, Matteo Salvini, has questioned the effectiveness of sanctions against Russia. This month, Silvio Berlusconi, a former Italian prime minister, appeared on Italian television to defend his longtime ally Putin.
Putin was prodded to create this special operation by the Russian people, his party, and his ministers, according to Berlusconi. "The troops were supposed to enter, arrive in Kyiv within a week, oust Zelensky's administration, and then withdraw. Instead, they encountered resistance, which was then fueled by western weapons of every description.
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Enrico Letta, a challenger on the center-left, responded harshly, saying, "Those comments demonstrate that in some aspects of our electoral system, on the right but not only, there are those who, in essence, say: "Let's stop this war, let's give Putin what he wants." That is unacceptable to me.
— Pew Research Global (@pewglobal) September 23, 2022
Undoubtedly, surveys conducted in Europe after the invasion on February 24 show a sharp decline in support for Russia and Putin among right-wing populist parties, particularly in Italy. However, as a recent Pew survey pointed out, these right-wing parties continue to have significantly more favourable views of the Russian government than the general population in their societies. Such sentiments served as the motivation behind a contentious planned "fact-finding" trip by politicians from the far-right AfD party of Germany to Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine. The trip was cancelled last week only as a result of a fierce backlash against the idea of elected German officials directly supporting Putin's propaganda apparatus.
Both Ukrainians and Western strategists worry that as the conflict rages on, public doubt about the cost of the sanctions against Russia, which have caused energy prices in Europe to soar, and the sizeable financial outlay to support Kyiv may grow. The possibility of growing indifference exists as well. According to a recent Pew survey, Americans are less worried about the possibility of a Ukrainian victory than they were in the spring, and a sizable majority now think that the assistance they are providing to Ukraine is adequate.
Given the tens of billions of dollars in funding the Biden administration has already provided, this is not surprising. Additionally, Pew discovered that American Republicans are more likely to think their government is giving Ukraine too much than not enough money. The upcoming midterm elections are being impacted by disapproval of the war's costs, and a portion of the Republican base, supported by former president Donald Trump and nurtured by infamously pro-Putin Fox News host Tucker Carlson, has long harboured sympathy for Putin's Russia.
J.D. Vance, the Ohio Republican's nominee for the Senate, stated this month, "I think we're at the point where we've given enough money in Ukraine." I genuinely do.
According to experts, the most recent round of funding for Ukraine approved by Congress may be the last to go through the American legislature without any problems. "At this point, it would be oversimplified to claim that one issue is more important than another. The American Enterprise Institute's right-of-center defence expert Mackenzie Eaglen told Politico that voters are speaking out against conservative members of Congress. Rather than the other way around, "this is really driven from the grassroots to Washington"
Meanwhile, Democrats are taking positions that are unusually hawkish when compared to their domestic rivals. According to Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), "The Ukrainians are making serious progress and are likely to continue making progress into next year." "If Republicans take control of the House and rumours spread that they've stopped funding Ukraine, that could have disastrous effects on Ukrainian morale and their capacity to continue the fight."