Tag: Distrust

The Biden Zelensky Relationship: Who to Trust?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The Biden Zelensky Relationship: Who to Trust?

Is it destructive enough to shake Washington’s trust in Zelensky? Five days after the missile strike, former Australian ambassador to Poland and Cambodia Tony Kevin claimed that “There were unmistakeable signs this week of growing Western war-weariness and irritation with Zelensky’s endless demands for more weapons and money.” Then, echoing and amplifying Thomas Friedman’s report that “privately, U.S. officials are a lot more concerned about Ukraine’s leadership than they are letting on,” Kevin added that “There is growing speculation that Zelensky’s position as leader may be weakening. Washington may be considering replacing him, but it remains very unclear how and to what end.”

Why are Chinese companies in the Pacific so quiet?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

During my research on Chinese companies’ engagement in the Pacific Island countries, I have met many people living in Australia or the Pacific who have shown a strong interest in this area, including students, academics, businesspeople, media reporters, government officials, and even taxi drivers. The topic attracts their interest for various reasons: some are curious about how Chinese companies operate; some want to explore dialogue and cooperation with Chinese companies; and some question the quality of Chinese companies’ works (while admitting that most companies operating in the Pacific face similar issues and challenges).

Why are Chinese companies in the Pacific so quiet?

New York Times columnist: Deeper mistrust between Biden and Zelenskyy than people know

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Thomas Friedman wrote Monday in a column for the New York Times that there was a deeper mistrust between the White House and Volodymyr Zelenskyy than what has been reported.

New York Times columnist: Deeper mistrust between Biden and Zelenskyy than people know

Related:

Why Pelosi’s Visit to Taiwan Is Utterly Reckless

The timing could not be worse. Dear reader: The Ukraine war is not over. And privately, U.S. officials are a lot more concerned about Ukraine’s leadership than they are letting on. There is deep mistrust between the White House and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky — considerably more than has been reported.

And there is funny business going on in Kyiv. On July 17, Zelensky fired his country’s prosecutor general and the leader of its domestic intelligence agency — the most significant shake-up in his government since the Russian invasion in February. It would be the equivalent of Biden firing Merrick Garland and Bill Burns on the same day. But I have still not seen any reporting that convincingly explains what that was all about. It is as if we don’t want to look too closely under the hood in Kyiv for fear of what corruption or antics we might see, when we have invested so much there. (More on the dangers of that another day.)