Zelenskyy's belief in victory and challenges with Ukrainian counteroffensive: Key takeaways from Time article

'Nobody believes in our victory like I do'

“Nobody believes in our victory like I do. Nobody,” Zelenskyy said after his visit to the United States at the end of September.

According to Time, this stance is already causing concern among some of the president's advisors. It allegedly hinders Zelenskyy's team's efforts to make a new strategy in the war with Russia. It also does not include any possibility of negotiations with the aggressor country.

“He deludes himself. We’re out of options. We’re not winning. But try telling him that,” said one of the unnamed aides to the president.

Help from the West

The President of Ukraine expressed his concern to journalists that global interest in the war has weakened.

The president's inner circle told the media that Zelenskyy "feels betrayed by his Western allies" and he feels angry after his trip to the United States. "They have left him without the means to win the war, only the means to survive it," the media says.

As Time notes, the head of the Ukrainian state is trying to convince allies that if the war in Ukraine is not stopped, it could spread.

Winter blackouts

Three unnamed Ukrainian officials responsible for restoring infrastructure after Russian strikes told journalists that power outages this winter will likely be even more severe than last year. Public reaction may also be more severe.

"Last year, people blamed the Russians. This time, they will blame us for not doing enough to prepare," one official said.

Problems with the counteroffensive and mobilization

One of Zelenskyy's aides says that Ukrainian military forces are not advancing yet. Some unit commanders, he said, refuse to follow orders to advance, even if they were issued from the President's Office.

“They just want to sit in the trenches and hold the line,” he says. “But we can’t win a war that way.”

A similar situation allegedly occurred with Horlivka - the authorities issued instructions to de-occupy the settlement at the beginning of October, but the operation did not even begin because of a lack of personnel and weapons, according to Time.

Zelenskyy's aide told the media about serious problems with mobilization. Older men are being called up to the front, causing the average age of soldiers to rise to about 43 years. Someone close to the president said that people of this age are joining the army with certain health problems.

Recruitment into the Armed Forces of Ukraine almost ceased after Zelenskyy decided to dismiss all regional military commissars. Replacing them is difficult, in part because the reputation has been tarnished.

Conditions for further assistance

Corruption in Ukraine has become a more sharp issue for allies in recent times. Before Zelenskyy's visit to the United States, a list of anti-corruption reforms was prepared for Ukrainians in Washington. As one of Zelenskyy's aides told Time, these were "conditions, not suggestions."

After that, the president gave strict orders for his staff to avoid the slightest perception of self-enrichment. Control over the work of officials has been strengthened. But, despite this, according to another unnamed advisor to the president, stealing continues.

Zelenskyy assured in an interview with the media that the fight against corruption remains one of his priorities.