Former Polish Ambassador on Zelensky’s Letter to Putin

As widely reported, this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, proposing direct dialogue and an urgent ceasefire.

The move was “theatrical but extraordinarily effective,” Jan Piekło, a former Polish ambassador to Kyiv, tells Wirtualna Polska in an interview.  Zelensky was hitting Putin where he is most susceptible to outside pressure: his public persona and his fear for his personal safety.

Timing was tactical to amplify the message

The letter’s publication was timed to coincide with the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an annual event Putin has traditionally used to demonstrate Russia’s importance on the world stage. Ukrainian drone operations dominated this year’s event, striking Russian infrastructure over 1,000 kilometers from the border.

In his letter, Zelensky specifically mentioned these attacks, saying that most Ukrainians reacted positively to the drones’ arrival at the start of the forum, but added pointedly that Ukraine’s capabilities are considerably superior to what has been shown.

“The Ukrainian argument, in terms of psychological and military superiority, is currently much stronger than Putin’s persuasive power. The Ukrainians successfully attacked critical infrastructure, while Western European politicians, including those from Germany, appeared there. This demonstrates the Kremlin’s powerlessness,” Piekło notes.

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Piekło said that Zelensky’s years as an entertainer gave him an edge in the art of psychological communications.

 “President Zelensky has learned a great deal as an actor and director. He understands that such approaches can be much more effective and accurate than missile strikes on apartment buildings. This is a blow to the foundations of Putin’s power,” Piekło says.

Zelensky’s letter and the drone strike on St Petersburg appeared amid escalating criticism of Putin by Western politicians and Russian military bloggers, indicating pressure on the Kremlin is increasing from inside.

“We can conclude that his end is near. This war can only end when Putin ends. For him, this fight is the only meaning of existence; it has an existential nature,”  the former Polish ambassador to Kyiv concludes.

The former diplomat thinks Zelensky should coordinate the diplomatic attack with Washington, citing the latest remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who announced increased military aid and said that “Russia is losing this war.”

See the original report here.