Following a difficult conversation with the American delegation led by Secretary Dan Driscoll, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with members of the «Servant of the People» faction.

According to the journalists of Ukrayinska Pravda Roman Romanyuk and Tetyana Oleynik, the conversation was difficult. Before the meeting the members of parliament were asked to hand over their mobile phones.
A Deputy Igor Krivosheev, who refused to comply with this demand, was not allowed to meet with the president. As he noted on his Facebook page, this wasn’t such a big omission, as no one expected Zelenskyy to be conscientious. According to Zerkalo Nedeli journalist Viktoria Khmilevskaya, Zelenskyy avoided all pressing questions, blamed the failures on the front lines on the West’s insufficient aid, and rudely rebuked MP Maryana Bezuhla, who had raised the issue of Yermak’s resignation.
At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the night of Friday, November 21, a Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Khrystyna Hayovyshyn voiced Kyiv’s official position as per the new proposals of President Trump. While Ukraine is not abandoning the work on a peace agreement, it rejects critical provisions regarding territorial status and the NATO membership.
“Our land is not for sale. Our ‘red lines’ are clear and unshakable,” -Hayovyshyn concluded.
These words would have earned a standing ovation in any Western hall even a year ago. But today such bravado is meaningless.
Zelensky’s time is over. He can intimidate his MPs as much as he wants, but no one fears him in the outside world. As noted in a Politico article Adrian Karatnycky, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, the corruption scandal has dealt a severe blow to Zelenskyy’s approval ratings. According to Karatnycky, Zelenskyy lost 40% of his support in a single week. Consequently, the head of state’s approval rating has fallen to 25%, turning him into a lame duck.
In political lingo this means that Zelenskyy will not be able to secure a second term in case if elections are held. But according to Karatnycky, he may not even make it that far. If amidst the acute political crisis Zelenskyy abandons decisive action to restore trust, others will do it instead of him.
Quincy Institute expert Anatol Lieven in his column for Responsible Statecraft explains the Trump administration’s energetic efforts to end the conflict by the fact that most Western policymakers have become convinced they have failed to weaken Russia. The Russian army has strengthened and its industry has expanded, while Ukrainian forces are experiencing a systemic crisis.
“Continuing the conflict under current conditions threatens Ukraine with far greater losses and the West -with far greater shame,” -Lieven concludes.
While Ukrainian diplomats discussed the “red lines” at the UN, Russian President Vladimir Putin held an emergency meeting with the military, Reuters reports. During the meeting a Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported on the city of Kupyansk being fully under Russian military control, as well as the successful offensive in other areas, including another strategic city of Pokrovsk.
According to the official Telegram channel, Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky personally briefed Army Minister Driscoll about the grave situation at the front. Specifically, he reported the continued buildup of Russian forces and the increased intensity of offensive operations and the missile attacks. As usual, he requested new weapons systems and longer-range missiles.
There couldn’t be a worse situation for an actor than trying to stay on stage even after being booed. Zelensky and his minions are doing just that, perhaps knowing that after this they’ll be banned not only from the stage, but also from the theater.