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As the long-fraught relationship between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky ripped apart Wednesday, a question that lingered among both men’s allies was whether the fight would dash hopes for a US-brokered peace—or, potentially, help it along.

Zelensky had carefully sought to avoid a full rupture with his temperamental new counterpart in Washington for months. He arranged a meeting in the weeks ahead of last year’s election meant to allay some of the then-GOP nominee’s skepticism about US involvement in the war.

A high-profile meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his United States counterpart Donald Trump 28. 02. 2025 has devolved into a shouting match, as the two leaders clashed over the future of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy was the third European leader to visit Trump this week, after French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. But unlike those leaders, who took pains to praise Trump, Zelenskyy openly contradicted Trump and called Putin a “killer and terrorist”. Within minutes, the meeting was at an end. The war of words soon shifted to the internet, where each leader offered remarks on what transpired in the Oval Office. This war of words goes along with the war of images – a huge amount of memes and cartoons are spread around the world. Here are some of examples.

Three years ago, Russia started its full-scale and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia’s brutal war deliberately targets civilian and critical infrastructure. The Ukrainian people have shown bravery in defending their country and the core principles of international law. We pay tribute to all those who have sacrificed their lives and have lost loved ones for Ukraine’s independence and freedom. Russia and its leadership bear sole responsibility for this war and the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian population. On the other hand, the nascent peace talks between the U.S. and Russia without Ukrainian involvement, have frayed ties between Kyiv and Washington, D.C. in recent weeks. Trump’s approach – which has included multiple public attacks on Zelenskyy’s conduct and legitimacy – has also prompted pushback from other allied leaders. A dozen leaders from Europe and Canada visited Ukraine’s capital Monday to mark the third anniversary of the country’s war with Russia in a conspicuous show of support for Kyiv amid deepening uncertainty about the Trump administration’s commitment to helping it fend off Russia’s invasion. Some of Ukraine’s most important backers, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, were among the visitors greeted at the train station by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha

“Then two great dragons came out, both ready for battle, and roared terribly. At their roar all the nations prepared for war to fight against the righteous people. It was a day of darkness and gloom, of sorrow and anxiety, of suffering and great confusion on the earth. And all the righteous people were sad, afraid of the coming disaster and ready to die. Then they cried out to God, and from their cries, as if from a small spring, a great river of water flowed forth. The light dawned and the sun rose, and the humiliated rose up and devoured those who were honored.“

This passage comes from the book of Esther (not in the Hebrew original) but preserved in Greek tradition (Addition A. Esther 11:6-11)

How interesting it is to re-read ancient texts and apocrypha in the light of what is happening in the world?

Two dragons who decided that a small nation should cease to exist. One that thinks it is an empire, when in fact it is a moldering king in the middle of ruins. The other is a red-haired lunatic who has decided to wreak havoc on the whole world.

Dark times. Great confusion. But the light always comes.

Since the first year of the war, Ukrainian leaders have lobbied Western allies to allow them to use advanced weapons to strike key targets inside Russia — which they hope would erode Moscow’s capabilities before its troops reach the front line and could make it more difficult for the Russian forces to strike Ukrainian territory. With two months left in office, President Biden authorized the Ukrainian military to use the system known as ATACMS for the first time.

Allowing the Ukrainians to use the long-range missiles, known as the Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, came in response to Russia’s surprise decision to bring North Korean troops into the fight. It could also serve as a deterrent force in the event of future cease-fire negotiations. The weapons are likely to be initially employed against Russian and North Korean troops in defense of Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of western Russia. Mr. Biden’s decision is a major change in U.S. policy. The choice has divided his advisers, and his shift comes two months before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office, having vowed to limit further support for Ukraine.

After a gradual decline in media interest in Ukraine following the Hamas attack on Israel last year, Ukraine is back on the front pages of the world’s newspapers. Kursk, Sudzha, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have become the heroes of not only media texts, but also of numerous global cartoons and memes. The main narratives of these cartoons and memes are: the Ukrainian incursion is punishment for Russia’s two-year aggression in Ukraine and a blow to Russia’s imperial ambitions. which the Ukrainian military took by surprise. This incursion came as a complete surprise to Russia and proved that it is possible and necessary to fight Russia on its territory.

The memes and cartoons about Kursk also reflect the changing position of Ukraine’s Western allies, who initially did not allow Western weapons to be used against Russia, and after the incursion claimed that Ukraine could plan its military operations independently.

As we can see, the two dimensions of the Russian-Ukrainian war – the real and the discursive – have once again intertwined, giving us food for reflection and investigation.

Two years ago, the world witnessed in horror as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, shattering the peace on the European continent. This brutal war, rooted in aggression and disregard for international law, has inflicted immense suffering on the Ukrainian people, claimed numerous innocent lives and destabilized the global order. This war bears severe consequences beyond European borders. It threatens the fundamental principles of international law and the rules-based global order. It also undermines global food security, posing significant challenges for other countries around the world.

War headed toward stalemate as support from Ukraine’s allies appears vulnerable. After the counteroffensive failed to pull off similar results to what Ukraine achieved in 2022, Western support appears to be fracturing — financially if not publicly. International media coverage has dropped markedly since November 2023 after Hamas attacks in Israel and there’s a very high risk of the support from the west going down”.

Ukraine has become increasingly dependent on western help as the war has continued, both in terms of weaponry and humanitarian support, and will need international aid money to help rebuild towns and cities destroyed by the Russians in the early phase of fighting.

Do you know the difference between creative reflection and stupid plagiarism? Let’s try to figure it out😉

The first cartoon is a 1805 work by the British artist James Gilray called “The Plumb-pudding in danger”. It depicts British Prime Minister William Pitt and the newly crowned French Emperor Napoleon dividing the world into spheres of influence.

The second is a work by Australian David Pope (2022), which compositional echoes Gilray’s cartoon (217 years between them). This is how the Australian cartoonist sees our war and the presidents of Russia and the United States.

And now – beware of plagiarism!

The third cartoon is by American cartoonist David Granlund.

And the fourth image is a stolen “work”. The “author” or whatever you want to call him used the original, erased Granlund’s signature and smeared his own “text” Who’s laughing now? Now you will have to account for your words!

So, they steal not only washing machines and toasters😡

And yes, I have to visit sites like “Caricatura.RU” 😉

To be continued…

The Russian-Ukrainian War has both a real and a discursive dimension. The latest “creation” of the Twitter owner Elon Musk showed how closely they are linked. The second image is a rather prompt response from Ukrainian parliament, which, however, has already been deleted. However, we managed to keep it for history and for the project!