Allies In Doubt

Peter Hitchens writes:

Clever know-alls have taken to sneering at me for my outrageous behaviour in asking for details of the intelligence reports of an approaching Russian invasion of Ukraine a year ago, By doing so I did not of course state, as these people would like to imply, that I thought there would not be an invasion. I would not have dared to make such a suggestion, since I had no basis of knowledge.

Anyway, I was far from alone in these doubts. Hardly surprisingly, given that UK and US "intelligence" had been at the forefront of dubious and wrong claims about Iraq in 2003. One of my main allies in doubt was President Volodymir Zelensky of Ukraine, a fact my detractors prefer to forget.

See Anthony Loyd, The Times, 14th Feb 2022: "President Zelensky, who has yet to put Ukraine on a level of national alert, repeated his calls for calm following the latest US warnings, saying on Saturday [February 12 2022] that ‘too much information’ about a predicted invasion was precipitating needless levels of alarm’."

Also in The Times, 14/2/2022, in a news report by Marc Bennetts: "President Zelensky of Ukraine criticised US warnings of an invasion, saying that they harmed the economy. He said: ‘All this information is only provoking panic and not helping us."

In Metro, p.5, 14/2/2022:  ‘Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said he had not seen firm evidence of an invasion within days and criticised western nations for hyping up the prospect, adding: ‘Right now, the people’s biggest enemy is panic."

Emily Ferguson (I think this is from the Express of that date): "The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, sought to play down the threat from Russia yesterday, saying: "The best friend of our enemies is panic in our country. And all this information is just provoking panic and cannot help us." He said that if Western powers had any firm evidence of an impending invasion, he had yet to see it."

Sunday Telegraph, Sunday 13th February: "Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, sought to play down the risk of a catastrophic invasion, despite the series of dire warnings from Western governments. "The best friend of our enemies is panic in our country. All this information is only provoking panic and not helping us," he said. Mr Zelensky also cast doubts on US reports of an imminent invasion, requesting "if anyone has any additional information about a 100 per cent chance of an invasion, give it to us.""

February 13th, Andrey Kurkov in The Observer: "[Zelensky]has repeatedly accused western politicians of exaggerating the danger of a Russian attack."

Ireland on Sunday, 13th February: "Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky also called on Washington to share intelligence which suggests Russia is planning to invade his country on Wednesday. He told the US: 'If you have 100% certain information about a Russian invasion of Ukraine, please share it with us.""

Tom Parfitt in The Times of 12/2: "Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine but Kremlin watchers remain divided over whether this presages an invasion or is simply a bargaining tool (Tom Parfitt writes) …. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky also called on Washington to share intelligence which suggests Russia is planning to invade his country on Wednesday. He told the US: "If you have 100% certain information about a Russian invasion of Ukraine, please share it with us.""