Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa covering President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. government, UN, IMF, World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington and New York.
In the public eye, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is often depicted as a steadfast commander, combating Russia’s occupation with Western-provided arms and careful to avert any actions on Russian soil that could potentially trigger World War III. However, a series of leaked U.S. intelligence documents tell a contrasting story. Behind closed doors, Zelensky is considering aggressive tactics within Russia, a risky move that might set off a worldwide conflict and cause severe casualties.
These confidential documents, shared via the Discord platform, portray Zelensky as a leader willing to take risky actions. His plans vary from capturing Russian villages to negotiate from a position of strength, to the aspiration for long-range missiles that could strike key areas within Russia.
The Washington Post on Saturday published these novel insights, which were derived from intercepted digital conversations, providing a unique insight into Zelensky’s strategic thought process amidst Russian missile attacks, infrastructural destruction, and alleged war crimes. The Pentagon, after being briefed on the leaked documents, did not challenge their authenticity.
These leaked materials, part of a more extensive disclosure of U.S. classified information, illustrate Zelensky as a leader who boldly considers audacious military strategies. He pondered about striking Russia and capturing its border towns with ground forces to gain a strategic upper hand in talks with Moscow. He also expressed concerns about Ukraine’s lack of long-range missiles to target Russian military deployments and proposed the use of drones for attacks within Russia.
The documents additionally disclosed a remarkable conversation with Deputy Prime Minister Yuliya Svrydenko, in which Zelensky suggested demolishing the Soviet-era Druzhba oil pipeline to Hungary. This pipeline is crucial to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s industry, which heavily relies on Russian oil.
Zelensky’s stance against Russia remains steadfast despite the leaked intel. When The Post questioned him about these allegations, he brushed them off as “fantasies,” yet reaffirmed his country’s right to pursue unconventional defense methods, stating, “Ukraine has every right to protect itself, and we are doing it.”
Even with these controversial disclosures, Zelensky continues to gain strong support from Western nations. Recently, Britain became the first Western nation to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles, significantly boosting its defense capacity.
These latest revelations lend credence to the warnings issued by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the 2024 U.S. Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. He has hinted that Zelensky is not the hero the West makes him out to be and that he could have prevented the ongoing war.
In a tweet dated May 3, Kennedy delved into the origins of the 2022 war between Ukraine and Russia. He referenced the election of actor-comedian Volodymyr Zelensky as Ukraine’s president in 2019, who won by a landslide 70% of the vote running as a peace candidate. Kennedy cited Benjamin Abelow’s book, “How the West Brought War to Ukraine,” suggesting that the war could have been avoided if Zelensky had simply stated, “I will not join NATO.”
However, Kennedy maintains that pressure from Neocons in the Biden administration and violent factions within the Ukrainian government coerced Zelensky into integrating his military with NATO’s forces. This move allowed the U.S. to install nuclear-capable Aegis missile launchers along Ukraine’s 1,200-mile border with Russia. Kennedy contends that these provocative actions crossed the “red lines” for Russian leadership, as previously delineated by senior U.S. diplomats like George Kennan, Bill Perry, and Jack Matlock. Kennedy argues that Neocons were pushing for a war with Russia, drawing parallels with their enthusiasm for the Iraq War.