Klitschko, a former world heavyweight boxing champion-turned-politician, has recently clashed publicly with Zelensky at least twice in some of the most glaring public statements of opposition against the president since the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
In an exclusive interview with the German media outlet Der Spiegel, Klitschko publicly accused Zelensky of steering the country toward becoming as authoritarian as Vladimir Putin's Russia. "At some point, we will no longer be any different from Russia, where everything depends on the whim of one man," said Klitschko.
Klitschko accused the president of looking at the mayors as an obstacle to the centralization of power. He also revealed that the president had become isolated since the war started, withdrawing from advisors and unilaterally issuing orders. They never met and communicated, despite the close proximity of their offices.
In a separate interview with the Swiss news site 20 Minutes, Klitschko publicly accused Zelensky of misleading the public about the progress of Ukraine in the ongoing conflict. He supported the statement of General Valerii Zaluzhnyi that the war had reached a "stalemate" after a failed counteroffensive against Russian forces. Zaluzhnyi had warned that the conflict might persist for years unless Ukraine introduces a game-changing strategy.
"[Zaluzhnyi] told the truth. Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth. Of course, we can euphorically lie to our people and our partners. But you can’t do that forever," Klitschko said. (Related: Zelensky ADMITS Ukraine’s counteroffensive HAS FAILED.)
Ukraine faces setbacks as allies waive military support
As Klitschko and Zaluzhnyi publicly criticized Zelensky for dealing with the ongoing war, allied elites and Western countries are starting to wave their military support for Ukraine due to growing fatigue over the prolonged conflict.
For instance, Rumen Radev, the president of Bulgaria, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member, vetoed the transfer of 100 armored vehicles to Ukraine on Dec. 4. Radev stated that the vehicles were needed at his country's borders. This, in turn, has caused a blow to Kyiv on the frontlines.
These delays and reluctance to provide more aid to Ukraine from its allies, including from Germany, some other European Union (EU) members and even the United States, have caused serious difficulties for Ukraine in getting specific weapons systems.
"There is no way for Ukraine to pay civil servants or soldiers without budget help coming from the U.S. and the EU," warned ?edomir Nestorovi?, a geopolitics professor for ESSEC Business School in France.
This waning support from Western countries supported Klitschko's conclusion about the president downplaying the risk of a Russian invasion until it was too late.
"People see who's effective and who's not, and there were and still are a lot of expectations. Zelensky is paying for the mistakes he has made," Klitschko said.
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Watch this clip from Southfront Press reporting on Zelensky acknowledging the failure of the counteroffensive as Ukrainian forces go on the defensive.
This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.
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