Zelensky's Lies
A speech full of pure propaganda
On March 16, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine gave a remote speech to congress. The full transcript of the speech can be found on USAToday here. The excerpts that follow are from this transcript. This was a speech that the official DNC newsletter, Demlist, described as:
The historic speech, delivered live from Kyiv, was an emotional and impassioned plea from the now world-renowned leader who has come to symbolize democracy itself.
When the DNC pulls out all the stops like that, it must be really good! Zelensky, this great symbol of democracy, starts out with some pleasantries and then immediately takes a euro-centric viewpoint saying:
And we have not even thought about it for a second, just like many other cities and communities in our beautiful country, which found themselves in the worst war since World War II.
He seems to have forgotten Korea, Yemen, Palestine, Vietnam, Iraq, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, and just about every country that isn’t a predominantly white European country. He also forgot about Yugoslavia, which is European and suffered under NATO aggression less than 30 years ago. Here’s Biden talking about what he wanted to do to Belgrade.
Biden might not remember this either, but the internet never forgets.
Less than 30 seconds into his speech, Zelensky has turned a three week war into the worst war since World War II. The propaganda is already thick and it doesn’t let up.
Brave and freedom-loving people, who for eight years have been resisting the Russian aggression. Those who give their best sons and daughters to stop this full-scale Russian invasion. Right now, the destiny of our country is being decided. The destiny of our people, whether Ukrainians will be free, whether they will be able to preserve their democracy.
It should go without saying that I stand with the people of Ukraine, the working class of all nations. I have no doubt they are brave and freedom loving, at least those of them who haven’t joined far right organizations with neo-Nazi connections. But unfortunately, it is primarily those far right organizations who have been “resisting Russian aggression” which appears to be a euphemism for bombing the ever living hell out of the Donbass regions and the independent republicans of Donetsk and Luhansk. Here is Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko describing how they were “resisting” this “Russian aggression” in 2014:
Forcing children to hole up in basements sounds like a war of aggression to me.
Zelensky continues:
I remember your national memorial in Rushmore. The faces of your prominent presidents, those who laid the foundation of the United States of America as it is today. Democracy, independence, freedom and care for everyone, for every person, for everyone who works diligently, who lives honestly, who respects the law. We in Ukraine want the same for our people.
This might just be a lack of education on U.S. history on his part, but calling out Mount Rushmore is not a good look. Those prominent presidents were slave holders (Washington and Jefferson) and supporters of genocide (all of them, but looking at Roosevelt and Lincoln primarily). Democracy, independence, freedom, and care for everyone aren’t something that exists in the U.S. Maybe if we had Medicare for all, but President Biden said he would veto that. Wanting the same for Ukraine as the U.S. has is not a good thing!
Zelensky goes on to conjure up the history of the Pearl Harbor and September 11th attacks, a well written appeal to U.S. patriotism that went over well with Congress. He goes on to double down on his lies from earlier:
This is a terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years, and we are asking for a reply, for an answer to this terror from the whole world. Is this a lot to ask for?
Yugoslavia and Kosovo were not 80 years ago. The terror there was very real. In 1999, NATO bombed Kosovo for 78 straight days. They bombed the Chinese embassy. NATO bombed a refugee column killing 73 civilians including 16 children. Human Rights Watch reported between 489 and 528 civilians were killed by NATO’s bombing campaign.
The fact of the matter is war is horrible. Zelensky also forgot to mention his own war in Donbas, which has accounted for over 14,000 deaths since 2014. Some of the horror of this war can be seen in the interviews of French film maker Anne-Laure Bonnel here:
Her work showing the suffering of the people in this civil war has recently been censored in some areas. An alternative view to the establishment narrative on this war is too much for some people.
Back to Zelensky:
To create a no-fly zone over Ukraine to save people. Is this too much to ask? A humanitarian no-fly zone, something that Russia would not be able to terrorize our free cities.
This is a call for World War III. Yes, it is too much to ask. Nuclear apocalypse is a real threat and not something to casually bring about through creating a no-fly zone. This is something Hillary wanted to do in Syria.
Hillary skirts the question of whether this means shooting down Russian planes, but that is literally what a no-fly zone means. This is what Zelensky is calling for. Calling it “humanitarian” does not actually change what it is.
Zelensky goes on to offer an alternative to the no-fly zone, but this is little better:
You know how much depends on the battlefield, on the ability to use aircraft, powerful, stronger aviation to protect our people, our freedom, our land. Aircrafts that can help Ukraine, help Europe. And you know that they exist, and you have them. But they are on earth not in the Ukrainian sky.
Providing more weapons to Ukraine! This appeal worked, as Biden has already agreed to sending drones. The fighter jets haven’t been worked out yet, but Amy Klobuchar believes it is still possible even after the Poland debacle.
Zelensky then goes on to quote Martin Luther King Jr. saying “I have a dream.” MLK’s dream was ending war, not starting World War III. He goes on:
I'm asking to make sure that the Russians do not receive a single penny that they use to destroy people in Ukraine. The destruction of our country the destruction of Europe, all American ports should be closed for Russian goods. Peace is more important than income, and we have to defend this principle in the whole world.
He is clearly a huge fan of sanctions, which disproportionately hurt the working class. But since he’s been overseeing bombing campaigns against the working class of his own country in Donbass, this comes as no surprise. Peace is more important than income? Waging economic war is not a way to achieve peace. Negotiating with Putin and accepting his reasonable demands would be a road to peace. Asking the U.S. to close the skies above Ukraine and ship more weapons of war is not asking for peace. And it’s increasing the income of the military industrial complex. A big win for capitalism.
On to Zelensky’s proposal:
We propose to create an association, U24 United for peace, a union of responsible countries that have the strength and consciousness to stop conflict immediately, provide all the necessary assistance in 24 hours, if necessary, even weapons if necessary, sanctions, humanitarian support, political support, finances, everything you need to keep the peace, and quickly save the world to save lives.
An alliance for peace that provides weapons and sanctions? Sounds a lot like NATO! Which has been used for aggression more than for peace. How does this address Putin’s demands? There are two sides to this conflict, it is rather important to actually address Putin, rather than simply ignore his existence and demonize him. Peace must be negotiated between Ukraine and Russia, not through some third party organization created to “keep the peace.” U.S. and NATO peacekeeping operations have always been anything but peaceful. The U24 does not sound like something new. And he says it himself:
We must preventively destroy every single aggressor or who seeks to subjugate other nations.
In nuclear warfare theory, this is called a first-strike. Preventively destroying the “aggressor.” Zelensky follows up this appeal with a heart wrenching propaganda video:
Yes, we know that war is terrible. Some of us have seen similar images from the U.S. bombing in Yemen, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, and Somalia. We saw them in our own streets in Philadelphia in 1985. War is terrible, no matter where it is.
Zelensky concludes:
And as the leader of my nation, I am addressing the President Biden. You are the leader of your great nation. I wish you to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace. Thank you."
The United States is not the leader of peace. Biden is a hawk, not a dove. Zelensky is asking for military support and an escalation of the war to include the U.S. and NATO. A world war. His continued calls for peace are actually calls for war. A war the likes of which civilization might not survive. But Bloomberg has us covered when it comes to buying stocks in preparation for a nuclear war! There is still profit to be had in the end of life as we know it.
Biden has Zelensky’s back though, as he said in his response:
Now — now, I want to be honest with you: This could be a long and difficult battle. But the American people will be steadfast in our support of the people of Ukraine in the face of Putin’s immoral, unethical attacks on civilian populations. We are united in our abhorrence of Putin’s depraved onslaught, and we’re going to continue to have their back as they fight for their freedom, their democracy, their very survival. And we’re going to give Ukraine the arms to fight and defend themselves through all the difficult days ahead.
Saddle up, folks, this is going to be another never ending war if Biden and his war hawk cabinet have anything to say about it! And the weapons to Ukraine pipeline has just gotten going. Raising gas prices and inflation at home are just the start of the sacrifices the working class will have to make to keep the weapons manufacturers profits flowing. COVID relief has been scrapped but Congress will find the money for Ukraine to arm neo-Nazis in their fight for democracy.
I was hoping someone would say just these things in rebuttal to the hideous speech from this creep.
Yep. A con job. He went from 23% approval to 90%. Is more weapons saving lives? He is an irresponsible child, asking we risk WWIII and nuclear exchange.