Ukraine News and Discussion

[Time_Traveller]

Grant Shapps abandoned Ukraine trip over security threat - MoD

1 hour ago

Grant Shapps aborted a trip to southern Ukraine last week for "security reasons", the UK defence ministry said.

The defence secretary had to scrap his visit to Odesa last week after UK intelligence reportedly warned Russia had become aware of his travel plans.

Mr Shapps was due to travel to Odesa a day after a missile hit the city while the Ukrainian president and the Greek prime minister were visiting.

Five people were killed in the strike, Ukrainian authorities said.

Mr Shapps had travelled on an overnight train from Poland to Ukraine, accompanied by chief of the defence staff, Adm Sir Tony Radakin, and a small team of British officials. The aim of their journey was to meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and senior members of his wartime administration.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68589866

[Time_Traveller]

Zelensky faces crisis as term elapses and public trust evaporates

May 21, 2024 6:00 am

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is battling a crisis of trust as he reaches the end of his fifth term, despite high international confidence in him in the US, UK, and Northern Europe

Under peaceful circumstances, his time as president would have ended on Monday, pending a democratic election. But Ukraine is no longer holding elections after martial law was declared following Russia’s invasion in 2022, leading to questions over his legitimacy as leader.

Mr Zelensky’s approval among Ukrainians has never been lower, dropping 5 per cent in February according to one poll, with only 65 per cent of Ukrainians trusting him at the start of February. His ruthless removal of senior officials, perceived failure to tackle corruption and failure to agree non-violent solutions with pro-Russia separatists have contributed to major doubt among voters.

The public doubt is a far cry from when the former actor first entered the political equation with a landslide victory of 70 per cent of the vote when he was elected in 2019.

Why is the President losing popularity?

Many attribute Mr Zelensky’s slide in the polls to his dismissal of Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former chief commander of the country’s armed forces, on 8 February – a move disapproved of by the vast majority – 72 per cent – of Ukrainians, according to the Kyiv Post.

https://inews.co.uk/news/world/zelensky ... st-3065148

[firestar464]

It's worth noting that corruption has gone down under Zelensky, according to the Corruption Perception Index

https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2023/index/ukr