He told a press briefing there is "no sense of fatigue" among NATO allies and they are remaining firm. "We must and we will continue to support Ukraine," he said following the NATO meeting in Brussels.
His words seemed by design a flat rejection of the avalanche of headlines which go to back to at least the summer which warned of increasing 'war fatigue' among Western publics and among political leadership.
But more specifically there have been echoes of fatigue voiced by NATO countries' top leadership:
The fact that Blinken now has to address the question of alliance members' fatigue head on is itself very telling. It also comes after the Israel-Gaza conflict has for the past eight weeks dominated the globe's attention. Gone are the days of Zelensky addressing packed out parliaments and Western audiences greeting him as if he's a rock star.In particular, Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, fell victim to a prank call from a pair of Russian comedians where she acknowledged international "fatigue" over the war in Ukraine.
"There is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides," she said.
"The problem is to find a way out which can be acceptable for both, without destroying the international law."
Ms Meloni since said she regretted the comments and that Italy will continue to back Ukraine.
Winter is coming, and the already stalemated front line situation will likely get a lot worse. NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg warned of precisely this in Brussels, saying Russia amassed a large missile stockpile ahead of winter, as cited in Reuters. Other sources have also pointed to Russia's amassing more missiles...
"It is important that our solidarity with Ukraine is not only demonstrated in words but also in deeds," Stoltenberg continued, arguing that the Western allies must do more. "These are concrete actions, we need more of them and we need sustained and stepped up support."
Both the US and Kiev have meanwhile denied recent and growing reports that Washington is pressuring the Zelensky government behind the scenes to negotiate for ceasefire, which would necessitate territorial concessions. Yet, the US government's own social media accounts strongly suggest otherwise...
Ukraine is still vowing it "won't back down" and has consistently refused to so much as consider or discuss the prospect of direct peace negotiations so long as President Vladimir Putin is in power.
Reader Comments
AFAIK "Zerohedge" is a website operated by ex-bankers. By which I mean, not well educated in military terms. In fields other than finances, my guess it as good as theirs - at least.
If they report about "stockpiling missiles", take the type and range of those missile into account. That gives a clue what they will be used for. But that is missing here. Not surprisingly, the Russian MOD holds their cards very cose to their chest. And the Western/Nato side proved to be really bad at guessing lately ...
Diplomacy in an artform I reckon and one who blinks too often is typically a liar with pants on fire and whatnot...
Thanks.
BK
What ever happened to that Ukraine flag, signed from Bakhmut .... my money is on it hanging in Pelosi's loo
Excellent podcast