Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Nov. 24 press conference floated a different war narrative: “We need three victories,” he said: “The first is with [the U.S.] Congress. It’s a challenge. It’s not easy.” The second “victory” to achieve is to secure €50 billion in aid from the EU, which has not yet been approved. “Not everyone in the EU is ready to support this package today. Our task is to make sure everyone supports this package.” The third success Ukraine seeks is for Brussels to decide to start negotiations on Ukraine’s EU membership, Zelenskyy said, calling it “a significant motivational step.”
While it is unlikely Ukraine will win these victories, they are not as remote as the military victory over Russia that Zelenskyy has been promising. In the press conference, he was reduced to accusing Russia of “exploiting various challenges in the world” to “divert attention from any assistance” to his country, adding that “responsible states” are doing everything they can to return that focus.
