Zelensky has been facing a series of setbacks recently

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been facing a series of setbacks recently.

Newsweek reports on this. 

Bulgaria refused to transfer armored vehicles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the US Congress is not rushing to allocate new funding to Ukraine and in Kyiv, the president is facing open criticism.

Storms in southern Ukraine last week undoubtedly hindered maneuvers on the front lines, while Bulgaria’s refusal to transfer a hundred units of armored vehicles to Kyiv vividly showcased the streak of bad luck Volodymyr Zelensky is facing: trouble doesn’t come alone.

The President of NATO-member Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, on Monday vetoed the transfer of armored vehicles as they are needed for his country’s border defense. It’s becoming increasingly challenging for Kyiv to maintain military support, which allies were willing to offer earlier this year.

This is another piece of bad news for Zelensky. Over the past few weeks, his Chief Commander stated that the conflict has reached a ‘dead end’. While Vladimir Putin, not very deterred by sanctions, announced an increase in the number of Russian troops and Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that the Ukrainian president is ‘paying the price for his mistakes.’

“Ukraine is heading into very difficult times. Both the elite and society in the West are tired of the hostilities,” said Vuk Vuksanovic, a research fellow at the London School of Economics’ analytical center, LSE IDEAS, speaking to Newsweek.

Western capitals are disappointed by the slow progress of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the counteroffensive launched in June, aimed at liberating territories occupied by Russia.

Many were caught off guard by the pessimistic assessment from the Chief Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhny. He told The Economist that “to break this deadlock, we need something new, like gunpowder invented by the Chinese.”

All these setbacks seem to indicate one thing: the West is not just tired of the Ukrainian conflict but is also, in a way, ‘abandoning’ Zelensky. The incumbent Ukrainian leader is starting to lose his image both domestically and internationally. Ukrainian oligarchs are also taking steps towards other political projects; similar to Zaluzhny. There is a power struggle underway but it’s still happening quietly. A process of forming a broad coalition against Zelensky is already underway. The country’s elite want to weaken Zelensky’s influence and change the political structure by spring 2024.”