[Source: nytimes.com]
n December 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was again given the
red-carpet treatment of a rock star as he made one of his regular visits to Washington, D.C.
to plead for more U.S. military aid.
This time, however, the act of the former comedian had begun to grow thin as President Joe Biden was hamstrung by congressional Republicans intent on blocking further military aid to Ukraine,
at least temporarily.
[1]During a press conference, President Biden implored Republicans to pass an aid bill to Ukraine before they break for the Holidays,
stating that, if they did not do so, they would be giving Russian President Vladimir Putin "the greatest Christmas gift they could possibly give him."
Biden's comments reflected an attempt to guilt the Republicans by feeding off the demonized image of Putin cultivated in the media over the last decade.
Biden additionally warned that Putin was planning to bombard Ukraine's electrical grid this winter if the U.S. did not act and that, with the aid, Ukraine could win.
The latter claims
were delusional as Ukraine's summer counteroffensive was a disaster ensuring that there is no hope that Ukraine will break through further Russian lines.
The New York Times reported on December 17 that with the "Ukrainian military facing mounting deaths and a stalemate on the battlefield,
army recruiters were becoming increasingly aggressive in their efforts to replenish the ranks, in some cases pulling men off the streets and whisking them to recruiting centers using intimidation and even physical force."
[2]
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