Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Cole, when it comes to calico cats, restraint is overrated.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

The willow is too close to the house.

Republicans don’t lie to be believed, they lie to be repeated.

In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.

Pelosi: “He either is stupid, or he thinks the rest of us are.” Why not both?

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Somebody needs to explain to DeSantis that nobody needs to do anything to make him look bad.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Republicans would impeach Biden if he bit into a whole Kit Kat rather than breaking the sections apart.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

I desperately hope that, yet again, I am wrong.

Maybe you would prefer that we take Joelle’s side in ALL CAPS?

You can’t love your country only when you win.

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 657: President Zelenskyy Had a Busy Day in DC

War for Ukraine Day 657: President Zelenskyy Had a Busy Day in DC

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Art by NEIVANMADE of a Ukrainian painted black and outlined in blood red kneeling in grief with hands covering the face surrounded by the bodies of Ukrainians killed by Russians on a grey background. "Russia Is Committing Genocide Right Now" is across the top center of the image.

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

President Zelenskyy had a busy day of meetings with US officials in DC. He met with President Biden, Vice President Harris, Speaker Johnson, Democratic and Republican senators, but only Democratic members of the House.

I am glad to be back at the White House and meeting with @POTUS Joe Biden.

I am grateful to the U.S. for its unwavering support for Ukraine, including $200 million military aid package announced today.

In the Black Sea, we defeated the Russian fleet. Our maritime exports have resumed, bolstering both our economy, which is now growing at 5%, and global food security.

We are moving in the right direction, and in our talks with President Biden today, we are discussing ways forward.

We have clear and attainable priorities for 2024, including depriving Russia of its air superiority and thwarting its offensive operations; jointly producing arms; and using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

Freedom must be well-armed and well-defended.

In the United States Senate, I had a friendly and candid conversation.

I informed members of the U.S. Senate about Ukraine’s current military and economic situation, the significance of sustaining vital U.S. support, and answered their questions.

I am grateful to Senate Majority Leader @SenSchumer and Republican Leader @LeaderMcConnell for their personal leadership in rallying bipartisan support for Ukraine among U.S. legislators.

There has not been an address to the Ukrainian people posted yet today. Nor did he make a formal address to Congress.

Here’s the video of the brief statements to the press gaggle in the Oval Office by President Biden and President Zelenskyy:

And here’s the full video of their joint press conference:

Today, @POTUS Joe Biden and I discussed how to increase our strength for the next year.

Air defense and capabilities to destroy Russian logistics on our land; strengthening democracy’s arsenal by co-producing arms; more sanctions and isolation for Russia.

It’s very important that, by the end of this year, we can send a strong signal of our unity to the aggressor. The unity of Ukraine, America, Europe, and the entire free world.

Ukraine’s greatest wish is to near this war’s victorious end. No one but Putin wants a prolonged war. We dream of a Christmas in peacetime.

We’re working to turn our battlefield success into peace. And we’re heading there—together with you and thanks to your support.

Thank you, @POTUS Joe Biden. Thank you, America.

While this is a welcome announcement, it is important to remember that this leaves only about $250 to $300 million of appropriated funding left for the Biden administration to use to provide Ukraine with support. Today’s announcement is most likely the second to last aid package until or unless the Republicans in the House and Senate release the hostage they’ve made of the supplemental aid legislation.

Today at the White House, I met with @VP Kamala Harris to reiterate my gratitude for U.S. support.

During the winter, American air defense and energy equipment assists us in strengthening Ukraine’s resilience.

More Ukrainians will be able to come home if our cities and infrastructure are better protected, allowing Ukraine to attain economic independence.

We also discussed the Peace Formula and the way to just peace, as well as our grain corridor, which bolsters global food security.

 

I met with House Democrats and House Democratic Leader @RepJeffries.

I am grateful to both parties and chambers of the U.S. Congress, President Biden, and the entire American people for their strong support for Ukraine in our fight against Russian aggression.

We discussed Ukraine’s top military needs throughout the winter, as well as joint Ukrainian-American arms production.

Ukraine has liberated half of its newly occupied territories, secured its own maritime grain corridor, and is winning in the Black Sea. We require continued U.S. support, as well as the unity of all of our allies.

I also stressed that Ukraine manages all aid in the most transparent, effective, and responsible manner, in close coordination with our partners.

I had a great meeting with House Speaker @SpeakerJohnson.

I am grateful to the U.S. Congress for the strong bipartisan and bicameral support that has been provided to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale aggression began.

I briefed Speaker Johnson about Ukraine’s achievements, including liberating half of the land occupied by Russia since 2022, winning the battle for the Black Sea, and reforming the country to make it self-sufficient in the future.

I thank speaker Johnson for supporting Ukraine’s fight for freedom and we count on continued assistance from our strategic partner, the US, in 2024.

For those marking Advent on your calendars this season:

Ukrainian Advent Calendar: Day 12

It’s ATACMS time! We are grateful to our US partners at @DeptofDefense for such an effective weapon.

#ATACMS missiles give Ukraine an opportunity for asymmetric responses to the occupiers. They’ve become a formidable weapon in the hands of 🇺🇦 warriors.

We are already halfway through our Advent Calendar. Thanks to the support of our friends, Weapons of Victory continue to inflict maximum damage on the aggressors.

#StandWithUkraine #UAMoDAdvent

Today is also Ukrainian Ground Forces Day:

Today is the Day of the Ukrainian Ground Forces—the most numerous and powerful branch of our Defense Forces!

The Ground Forces warriors move forward, regaining every piece of occupied territory and inflicting significant losses on the enemy. They do not stop until Ukraine reaches the borders of our state.

The motto “For Ukraine! For its freedom!” is an echo and continuation of the centuries-old traditions of the struggle for our freedom.

Congratulations to our brave warriors! Victory will be ours!

This is a VERY good sign:

For weeks there has been rumor mongering that President Zelenskyy and General Zaluzhnyi were in opposition to each other and that General Zaluzhnyi was unhappy with Colonel-General Sirskyi. And that all of this was a major indicator that the wheels were coming off. That President Zelenskyy would fire General Zaluzhnyi before the latter could depose him and take over. The Russian bots and trolls and their tankie and vatnik useful idiot friends have been working over time pushing this garbage. We now have two major indicators that none of this is true. The first is that if President Zelenskyy and General Zaluzhnyi were at odds and the former was concerned the latter might depose him, then President Zelenskyy would never have left Ukraine. This meeting between the Minister of Defense Umerov, General Zaluzhnyi, and Colonel-General Syrskyi is the other indicator that the senior leadership is not at odds with each other.

Ukrainska Pravda has the details:

Defence Minister Rustem Umierov and Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, have visited firing positions of soldiers on one of the fronts in Ukraine’s east.

Source: press service of the Ministry of Defence; Ground Forces Command

Details: It is noted that Umierov and Zaluzhnyi congratulated the soldiers on the Day of the Ground Forces. Umierov also presented state awards to the military.

Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group, briefed Umierov and Zaluzhnyi on the situation on one of the eastern fronts. The parties also discussed the key needs of Ukrainian soldiers, which are necessary for their effective work.

Ukrainska Pravda is also reporting that Defense Minister Umerov is not considering replacing General Zaluzhnyi:

Rustem Umierov, the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, has stated in a commentary for journalists that the replacement of Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is not being considered.

Source: Umierov in a commentary for Suspilne media outlet’s correspondent during a joint briefing with the Latvian Defence Minister

Quote: “There are always some unresolved issues which were there before I took office, and I am very open about them towards the society and my colleagues. There are no such plans [to dismiss Zaluzhnyi]. I know that this issue is being promoted both externally and internally. Today the Commander-in-Chief and I congratulated the Ground Forces Commander together. We are always cracking jokes about it, so I asked him: “Who is firing you this time?”

Details: Umierov also noted that he is always open to suggestions concerning the changes in the military command. If some changes are planned, he said would report about them.

Background:

On 29 November, The Economist wrote that along with the harsh reality of trench warfare, tensions on the “political battlefield” in Kyiv are also growing. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy considers the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces his rival, and political infighting harms Ukraine.
Ukrainska Pravda sources say that Supreme Commander-in-Chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy communicates with some commanders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine directly, bypassing Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi and interfering with his overall command of the army.

All over Ukraine:

Here’s the full text of those two tweets in order:

▪️ No connectivity for users – mobile, home internet affected. National roaming impacted.

▪️ Ministry of Infrastructure aims for communication restoration in 4-5 hours. Repair efforts ongoing.

▪️ Some bank terminals & ATMs affected.

▪️ In Sumy the air raid warning system is non-operational.

Will be updated

More insights on the unprecedented hacker attack:

1. First-ever attack of this scale targeting Kyivstar.
2. Meticulously planned, demonstrating extensive preparation.
3. Successful breach targeted the system core.
4. Intruders maintain unauthorized external control.

The question persists whether the personal data of 24 million users was compromised. Company reports no such breach occurred.

Horlivka:

I thank our heroes, the assault group of our royal brigade, the 24th Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo Halytskyi!

Despite the challenging conditions, they captured one of the slagheaps within Horlivka and took over enemy positions. The Ukrainian flag 🇺🇦 is now flying there.

Horlivka is Ukraine! Donbas is Ukraine!

Avdiivka:

I’m going through the latest batch of videos and pictures coming from the Avdiivka front and they show absolute carnage among Russian troops. We already exceeded the amount of Russian losses from Vuhledar some weeks ago, but the last few days severely increased this already staggering figure, with literally no gains in land at all.

Avdiivka appears to be currently the single-largest contributor in progressing Russia’s demographic catastrophe.

#Avdiivka #Kherson #Ukraine

I’ve seen the videos. I’m not posting them. They don’t bother me, but I expect they will bother some or a lot of you all.

Intense combat footage shows the effort of the 47th Brigade to stop the Russian advance in Avdiivka. Here, Ukrainian sappers are mining an area of a potential Russian approach in the Stepove area. Filmed in November ’23, the footage shows a Ukrainian sapper group, armed with TM-62 mines, securing an area while under fire from Russian mortars, artillery, and FPV drones.

As of now, the position has been abandoned.

 

Somewhere in the Southern Command Area of Responsibility, most likely the left bank of the Dnipro in Russian occupied Kherson Oblast:

Donald Tusk has taken office and wants to take the fight to Putin:

“I can no longer listen to politicians who talk about being tired of the situation in Ukraine.” #Poland “will demand the full mobilisation of the free world to help #Ukraine”, newly appointed prime minister @donaldtusk said.

“We also need to speak with one voice about Ukraine. This must also unite us. The attack on Ukraine is an attack on all of us.

We will demand full mobilisation of the West to help Ukraine. They tell President Zelensky that they are tired of the situation. I will demand help for Ukraine from day one.

In a few dozen hours, I will be going to Brussels, hoping that we will convince our allies to defend democratic values and Ukraine against Russian aggression.” https://theguardian.com/world/live/2023/dec/12/donald-tusk-prime-minister-poland-parliament-coalition-europe-latest-news?CMP=share_btn_tw&page=with%3Ablock-657830398f08f39ca01e7a06#block-657830398f08f39ca01e7a06

And Lech Walesa was there to see it!

You may have seen reporting or the video that an extremist Polish legislator took a fire extinguisher to a Hannukiah, himself, a young woman, and the crowd that gathered. This was not antisemitism for the sake of antisemitism. Rather, it was an attempt to prevent Tusk and his new government from being inaugurated today. It failed and the legislator has been expelled.

If you’re wondering, this is how the Russians are interpreting the Republicans holding up aid to Ukraine:

Here is Fiona Hill’s assessment of what is going on: (emphasis mine)

Since the war began, I’ve turned to Fiona Hill periodically for insight into what’s driving Russian President Vladimir Putin, and where America’s interests lie. She’s a keen observer not just of Russia and its leader, but also of American politics, having served in the White House as a top adviser to both Democrats and Republicans, including President Donald Trump. Since she left the Trump administration (and after a star turn testifying in his first impeachment), she’s become a highly sought-out voice on global affairs as well as the domestic roots of authoritarianism in countries around the world.

When we spoke this week, she made clear that the decision of whether Ukraine wins or loses is now on us — almost entirely.As Congress debates how much more money to authorize for Ukraine’s assistance amid growing Republican opposition, she says that what we are really debating is our own future. Do we want to live in the kind of world that will result if Ukraine loses?

Hill is clear about her answer. A world in which Putin chalks up a win in Ukraine is one where the U.S.’s standing in the world is diminished, where Iran and North Korea are emboldened, where China dominates the Indo-Pacific, where the Middle East becomes more unstable and where nuclear proliferation takes off, among allies as well as enemies.

“Ukraine has become a battlefield now for America and America’s own future — whether we see it or not — for our own defensive posture and preparedness, for our reputation and our leadership,” she told me. “For Putin, Ukraine is a proxy war against the United States, to remove the United States from the world stage.”

Hill sees U.S. domestic politics as the main obstacle to Ukraine’s ability to win. She has long warned, including in a book published after she left the White House, that high levels of partisanship in the United States promote authoritarianism both at home and around the world. She’s been talking to some lawmakers about Ukraine, and she’s worried that their partisanship has blinded them to the dangers the country faces if Putin gets his way.

“The problem is that many members of Congress don’t want to see President Biden win on any front,” she said. “People are incapable now of separating off ‘giving Biden a win’ from actually allowing Ukraine to win. They are thinking less about U.S. national security, European security, international security and foreign policy, and much more about how they can humiliate Biden.”

“In that regard,” she continued, “whether they like it or not, members of Congress are doing exactly the same thing as Vladimir Putin. They hate that. They want to refute that. But Vladimir Putin wants Biden to lose, and they want Biden to be seen to lose as well.”

Much, much, much more at the link!

And here is the Carnegie Endowment’s Dara Massicot’s take. First tweet from the thread, the rest from the Thread Reader App:

The Kremlin is starting to gloat that it is beating us – the west. If they feel like they can win by outlasting the political will of the United States and Europe about Ukraine, they will become much worse in the years to come, cocky and partially reconstituted. /2 
It is my job to look at different futures being rebuilt on the horizon. And I tell you that a bruised , vengeful, and overconfident Russia is one of them that I see on the path we are on, unless choices are made now. /3 
Why? Every time the Russians think that they have “won” in a conflict under Putin — Georgia 2008, Ukraine 2014, Syria 2015 – they learn something about us – and they become overconfident in their abilities and in a few years they try bigger and bolder operations. /4 
If the Kremlin concludes they can outlast Ukraine and Western support, they will tell themselves they overcame or defeated US and NATO intelligence, planning, weapons, tactics, will, and defense production. It would be an inaccurate but dangerous conclusion for them to arrive at. 
If Russia were to conclude that their repetitive brute force methods and DIB can overcome western aid to Ukraine and outlast NATO political will and types of support- the outcome would be very dangerous, and it must not be allowed to happen. It could upend deterrence./6 
Prior to 2022, the Russians believed they had several economic, political, and military disadvantages vis-à-vis NATO. If they snatch a type of victory in Ukraine by exhausting and outlasting Ukraine and the West, I believe they will downgrade their assessments about NATO power./7 
The most important reason to continue to fund security assistance to Ukraine is for Ukraine. They want to live free from Kremlin subjugation and brutality. They fight hard, they do not ask anyone to fight for them. Look what they’ve done already to the Russian army./8 
Have a look at these demands from the Russian MFA. They want the west to give up, and for Ukraine to give up and live in subjugation. It is not subtle. /9

Unroll available on Thread Reader
(The immediate response that came to mind was Gen. McAuliffe’s 1944 Christmas letter: “N U T S!” ) /10

It is appropriate to talk about strategy for 2024 and matching ends, ways, and means – that is a good idea and it’s time to do it. Open door offer to talk. But stopping aid now would mean giving up on Ukrainian soldiers in the field./11 
It is in our interests to continue supporting Ukraine for many reasons. Inaction at a critical time could lead once again to a vicious, regenerating, and overconfident Kremlin in the years ahead and would be a political and military catastrophe for all. /end 

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron tweets or videos today. So here is some adjacent material:

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

28Comments

  1. 1.

    Alison Rose

    It must be so mentally exhausting for Zelenskyy making all of these visits and meetings and pressers, knowing — as I’m sure he does — that it is very possible the House won’t pass a fucking thing to help them. I’m very impressed that when he met Johnson, he didn’t just suckerpunch him in the gut and ask him how putin’s boots taste.

    And I don’t know how Johnson plans to meet his maker eventually, having the audacity to meet and shake hands with Zelenskyy while gleefully condemning his nation and people to an onslaught that no one in this country could imagine.

    I try to hold onto a shred of hope for a miracle, but it feels like trying to catch water with a colander.

    Thank you as always, Adam.

  2. 2.

    Gin & Tonic

    I have considerable respect for Dr Hill, but on one thing she is wrong: nuclear non-proliferation is already deader than Monty Python’s parrot.

  3. 3.

    hrprogressive

    You know, a decade or two ago, a foreign head of state coming to the US to thank us for our military help and request more to help defeat a common enemy would have garnered immediate “rah rah” support from both sides, and probably the media.

    I’m not gonna hold my breath that Zelenskyy said anything that would have changed any hearts or minds, but I’d be happy to be proven wrong here.

    Hell, maybe there’s a way to give a fig leaf to the lunatics on “border security” in a way that materially helps Ukraine right now and can be waved away or choked to death by red tape later. Maybe not, but if the there’s a way to move something, anything, it probably should be done.

    Not sure who this Tusk guy is in Poland but he seems to be saying the right things, so that’s cool.

  6. 6.

    lowtechcyclist

    “They are thinking less about U.S. national security, European security, international security and foreign policy, and much more about how they can humiliate Biden.”

    I’ve been saying for some time now that the GQP (Q for Quisling) has no meaningful foreign policy positions. They’ll just take whatever positions make the Dems look bad on a given day, and ignore any issues that can’t be used that way.

    So of course they’ll end our assistance to Ukraine if that’s how they think they can own the libs. Sacrifice a nation of 40 million people just to score some cheap political points. That’s the motherfucking GQP of this era. And they will say they are pro-life while aiding a mass slaughter.

    How these people can look in the mirror is beyond me.

  7. 7.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @lowtechcyclist: I had the same thought [the mirror]. Then it occurred to me: J.D. Vance and Ron Johnson don’t shave.

    [ETA, I wrote before I have little to add here; this is gallows humor.]

  8. 8.

    Bill Arnold

    The Kyivstar hack was odd. These are typically a one-time thing (the holes/vulnerabilities/weaknesses used are patched quickly after a root-cause determination, and typically other weaknesses are also identified and fixed or protected against in the process), so they would typically be coordinated with one or more attacks (kinetic?) taking advantage of the disruption, but this one was not, at least not obviously.

  10. 10.

    Wombat Probability Cloud

    Interesting to see the inclusion of the words, “and using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.” in Zelenskyy’s statement about his meeting with Biden. Makes me wonder how much power Biden and allies have to make it so. It would be delectable to see Russian funds used to pay for ammo and gear for Ukraine, and whatever was produced in the US would be a difficult target for GOP objections.

    There’s an article in the NYT today about the E.U. considering use of profits from Russian funds for UK support, though interesting to me that they aren’t looking at the principal. I know all of this is fraught with potential consequences, but possession is 9/10, etc., and fuck it, it’s not like international norms aren’t being shattered by Russia.

  11. 11.

    wjca

    @lowtechcyclist: of course they’ll end our assistance to Ukraine if that’s how they think they can own the libs.

    I keep wondering if there is a way to make them think that funding more aid for Ukraine would somehow make Biden look bad.  They’d admittedly have to be dumb as rocks to fall for it.  But then, they are dumb as rocks.  (No offense intended to anyone of the silicon persuasion.)

  14. 14.

    Martin

    @lowtechcyclist:

    So of course they’ll end our assistance to Ukraine if that’s how they think they can own the libs.

    I don’t think that’s it. The US simply cannot help Ukraine if Trump is president. The destruction of Ukraine means the destruction of the source of his first impeachment. Russia winning clears that up for him. As Republicans line up behind him, they need to pave the way for this, so they can’t be supporting Ukraine until the moment he becomes president, and then stop. But they can deny Ukraine until the moment he loses and then say ‘ok, we have a strategy for victory’ and reverse course if they want.

    That’s my guess. Trump will never support Ukraine, so unless we get a different nominee, the 2024 electoral strategy is to abandon Ukraine. Mitch will steadily back away from the issue as well.

  16. 16.

    Wombat Probability Cloud

    @Jay: Makes sense, and whatever can be done realistically is great. I would like to understand more about the consequences of seizing the assets themselves, though, both legally and in terms of distribution of pain within Russia. Putin is an immoral and unethical actor and can’t be afforded any respect in return. Countering with an unexpected and harsh move, if it was made explicit that the US was not promoting this as the norm, or a precedent, might be effective. There’s so much justice in thinking about oligarch cash being used to defend Ukraine..

    ETA: Is the vesting specified by each country holding funds, or an international norm?

  17. 17.

    Bill Arnold

    @Origuy:
    (A DDoS attack on a Polish tax system)
    As Reuters says, “Moscow has consistently denied that it carries out hacking operations.” In other words, such denials have essentially no information value.
    (Note: it can be non-trivial to determine the controller of a distributed denial of service attack. Don’t know what led Polish officials to their moderately confident attribution.)

  19. 19.

    Jay

    @Wombat Probability Cloud:

    ETA: Is the vesting specified by each country holding funds, or an international norm?

    The International norm is that interest from sanctioned funds, ownership accrues to the sanctioning nation, ideally for the use of law, administering the funds, costs, etc,……

  22. 22.

    Wombat Probability Cloud

    @Jay: Thank you! Do you have a sense of what the accrued sum might be, as held by the U.S.?

    Asking because I don’t recall any comment in this regard from previous meetings between Z. and B., though I easily could have missed it. Hopefully, something is brewing.

  24. 24.

    wjca

    @Adam L Silverman: Kyivstar was developed out of a Russian owned/controlled Telecom. So…

    Nothing makes hacking easier than preinstalling a back door in the original code.

    Of course, I suspect that there are some sharp Ukrainian programmers who worked on some Russian software back in the day.  The Russians naturally wouldn’t admit to being hacked.  And the Ukrainians have some incentive not to brag about every time they hack something.

    So we probably won’t find out about it until long after the fact.  How long after WW II did we find out about Ultra cracking the Enigma encryption?

  25. 25.

    Wombat Probability Cloud

    @Jay: OK, and again, thanks. Re the the seized assets, I hope the administration breaks some norms, knives to a knife fight, and all of that.

  28. 28.

    sab

    @Mr. Bemused Senior: Ohioan here. JD Vance ick. I didn’t vote for him but he is my senator (icky ick)  so I have to move forward with him as my senator (ick). Rob Portman spouted Republican takng points but mostly compromised. JD Vance not so much.

    JD Vance is an idiot. Hopefully when he shoots himself in the foot or the dick Ohio voters will notice.

Comments are closed.