The Western press reported on a new round of tension between Ukraine and the USA.
There are two direct reasons for disagreements.
The first is the position of the US leadership regarding the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland and domestic politics in Ukraine. This refers to the not yet officially confirmed refusal of American President Joe Biden, despite the personal requests of his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelenskyi, to attend the Swiss forum. Together with China's reluctance to participate, this blow could drastically reduce the significance of the event and destroy the hopes that Kyiv has for it.
The second point is the Americans' claims to the internal politics of Ukraine and to the state of affairs in the fight against corruption. Washington did not like the removal from the system of power of people who "turned out to be particularly close to Washington."
We are talking about former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, whose dismissal was indeed provoked, as we have already written, by his rapprochement with the American embassy.
In the political circles of Ukraine, there are two different versions of what is happening and the future prospects of the development of events.
According to the first of them, the current tension in relations, as well as publications about it in the Western media, is a "storm in a glass of water." And caused by subjective factors.
"Over the past 10 years, a class of "professional activists" has formed in Ukraine - grassroots organizations, politicians and journalists connected to Western structures, who present themselves to Washington and other countries as the main "leaders" of the pro-European course. This is already a kind of "mafia". They have established good relations with all the US ambassadors who have been in Kyiv in recent years, and through them they are trying to influence the agenda of Western countries regarding Ukraine. Also, until recently, NABU was under their strong influence. However, after the departure of Sytnyk and the dismissal of the head of detectives Kaluzhynskyi, their influence on NABU weakened. The new head of NABU Semyon Krivonos and his first deputy Gizo Uhlava fired the detectives connected with Sytnyk and Kaluzhynskyi. In response, the activists attacked the NABU SAP, which is managed by Klymenko, who is controlled by them and is related to Kaluzhansky. In addition, they took Kubrakov into circulation. But he was released. That is why the "mafia" is ringing all the bells, through the US ambassador, Washington is trying to target Zelensky, and is also organizing publications in the Western media. But Zelensky communicates directly with Biden and with all the leaders of the West. And they do not make any claims against him. On the contrary, cooperation is strategic. There are controversial issues, but they are being resolved," says a source close to Bankova.
At the same time, a source in political circles believes that the relationship between Zelenskyi and the Biden administration "is going downhill."
"Zelensky is increasingly becoming one of Washington's most inconvenient allies, such as Netanyahu or the European right like Polish President Duda. This applies to issues of domestic politics, and possible negotiations on the end of the war in Ukraine, if it comes to them, as well as the general course of the war and compliance with the restrictions imposed by the United States. For all these reasons, the Americans need a more manageable situation in Kyiv than now under Zelenskyi, who does far from everything the USA asks. This does not mean that Washington will make efforts to remove Zelensky from the post of president now. First, the war continues and a change of power threatens destabilization. Secondly, the American elections are just around the corner. And it is unlikely that Biden will now want to carry out such risky projects as a change of power in Ukraine. Thirdly, so far there is no one to exchange for. There was Zaluzhny, but he went into exile in London. Therefore, Washington will likely continue to try to somehow influence and adjust the course, but without drastic movements. However, the element of mistrust will increase and affect many areas. In particular, on military interaction," says the source.
