Retired General Mick Ryan explains why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, often derided as a mere pro-Russian propaganda “actor”, has a significant edge over Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, in command of the armed forces.

Ryan, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and the US Marine Corps Command and Staff College, draws comparisons between the presidents of the two warring countries, highlighting the leadership qualities that Zelensky demonstrated during his visits to soldiers at the front, especially in the conditions of the recapture of Kharkiv Oblast.

An Australian major general says the Ukrainian president’s visits have several purposes, one of the most important of which is to talk to his own soldiers to get an idea of ​​their morale and capabilities.

“You can read reports, but there’s no substitute for walking the field with leaders and soldiers right on the front lines,” Ryan said in a series of posts on his Facebook page. Twitter.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to show that he trusts his army

According to him, another reason for Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s trips to the front lines is to talk directly with the fighters, to show them that their sacrifice is recognized in the highest echelons of power and to remind them of the goal for which they are sacrificing.

“Leadership is the most important thing a leader can give,” says the Australian officer, buttressing his argument with a quote from Dwight Eisenhower, the former Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II who became President of the United States. :

“Belief in the cause is as essential to success in war as the spirit or discipline induced or created by the command or action of the leaders.”

Ryan goes on to name the third reason for Zelenskyi’s visits to the front: to show that he trusts his country’s army.

“He’s demonstrating that he’s comfortable putting his life in the hands of the military — an important strategic exercise in building trust between politicians and military leaders,” he explains.

Vladimir Putin commands the war from afar

Last but not least, his visits are an important way to differentiate himself from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Putin is unlikely to ever visit his poorly fed, horribly led retreating troops in Ukraine,” he says.

• On the same topic: Why did the Russian front in Kharkiv collapse like a sandcastle? From the lesson of Napoleon to the incredible corruption in the Russian army

Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov has been saying since mid-March that Vladimir Putin does not plan to visit the invasion troops he sent to Ukraine on February 24.

At the insistence of Russian journalists, the Kremlin announced on April 20 that Putin would visit some of the wounded Russian soldiers “when the time comes.” The moment came more than a month later, on May 25, when Russian state television showed footage of a scruffy Putin talking to two wounded soldiers in a hospital room in Moscow.

The visits of the Ukrainian president are also a signal for the West

General Mick Ryan also says that, on the contrary, the president of Ukraine’s constant visits to his armed forces prove that he is not a “bunker leader” and shows Western partners that Ukraine deserves support “to the end.” , especially in the context of the energy crisis that broke out in Europe.

The Australian officer emphasizes this with a quote from the famous American professor and political scientist Elliot Cohen, an adviser to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2007-2009:

“In war it is to see things as they are and not as you wish them to be, to persevere in spite of disappointment, to be aware of many lost opportunities and dangers yet to come, to lead knowing that your subordinates and colleagues are in some cases unfit , in hostile others, it is a rarer kind of courage than the willingness to expose oneself to a bullet or a projectile.”

“This is the kind of courage and leadership that Zelenskyi gave to his country,” General Mick Ryan notes.

Follow the latest events of the 204th day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.