US-Zelensky tensions

Blinken and Brink versus Yermak and Zelensky. Yermak-Zelensky purging pro-western forces

Bad Bridget

The signs have been clear.

Antony Blinken stated during his visit to Ukraine on May 13 that Ukraine must make “sure that the fight against corruption continues at home just as the fight against Russia’s aggression continues on the front lines”. A June 6 NBC article wrote that ‘Ukrainian officials are particularly irritated with the U.S. ambassador, Bridget Brink, over the issue of corruption’.

The Ukrainian media publication Strana released an article on June 1 on Zelensky’s worsening relations with the US. One of the recent causes of displeasure has been Biden’s refusal to attend Zelensky’s Switzerland ‘peace summit’. More importantly, the US is angry about Zelensky’s personnel purges, which I wrote about in detail in this recent post.

In short, Zelensky has been strengthening his control over the government and removing any independent figures. A May 28 Financial Times article was particularly forthright about this:

Other points of concern relate to diverging strategies on how Ukraine can achieve victory and what that victory might look like, as well as Zelenskyy’s little explained removal of top government and military officials the US had worked closely with.

Several Ukrainian government officials and diplomats from G7 nations cited the firing of commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny in February and infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov this month. Both men were well respected and enjoyed close working relationships with US and EU officials. The officials told the FT that G7 ambassadors have warned Zelenskyy’s government about what they see as disruptive and inexplicable moves.

US ambassador Brink published the above post when Kubrakov was dismissed on April 9. ‘Thank you, Oleksandr Kubrakov, for your wonderful partnership over the last two years…’ ‘I will be happy to stay close by, to help Ukraine win the war and win the future’

According to strana sources, the US even tried to save Kubrakov with a phone call right before the parliamentary vote on his dismissal. One of the reasons for the removal of the infrastructure minister, at least nominally, has been the scandal over corruption in construction of concrete protection for energy objects, which has proven sorely inadequate after recent Russian missile attacks. I wrote about this topic several months ago here.