Zelenskyy goes for broke
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the United States to use its influence to convince skeptical nations that Ukraine should join NATO.
The Ukrainian leader, who recently expressed willingness to negotiate peace with Russia if the Ukrainian territories occupied by the enemy were granted NATO membership, insisted that it is not too late to persuade reluctant countries.
Despite this concession, Sir Tony Brenton, a former UK ambassador to Russia, suggested that the proposal is unlikely to ease Ukraine’s path to joining the military alliance.
These remarks come as Vladimir Putin approved Russia’s 2025 national budget, allocating one-third of spending to defense and the war effort. Meanwhile, Ukraine faces a shrinking army, partly due to combat losses and a rising number of desertions.
Since the start of the conflict in February 2022, the rate of desertions in the Ukrainian military has steadily increased.
(QG - The Independent / Picture: © Unsplash)