The entitlement and aggressiveness coming from Ukrainian officials whenever something doesn’t go their way would be shocking, if it was not becoming so common.
The new round of regrettable statements came from the advisor to President Zelensky, one Mykhailo Podolyak.
First, Podolyak said in an interview days ago:
“What’s the problem with China, India etc. – they are not able to analyze the consequences of their actions – these countries have low intellectual potential, unfortunately. Yes, they invest in science. Yes, India has launched a lunar rover recently which is now trekking on the surface of the Moon, but that does not indicate that this country fully comprehends what the modern world is about.“
Naturally this statement caused an uproar, so the advisor tried to justify himself by issuing a clarification, but he ended up making it worse.
Sputnik reported:
“While responding to a UNIAN correspondent during the Editorial Board Summit event, Podolyak said that “he incorrectly used word intelligence and instead of it he should have said weak analytical potential in terms of assessing the strategic disadvantage of cooperation with the Russian Federation.”
He also said that he had already apologized for his words. ‘I then said sorry, that’s an incorrect phrase from the point of view of weak intellectual potential because we are talking specifically about the analytical component, an incorrect assessment of the strategic plans of India and China, which still, unfortunately, support the Russian Federation’, the advisor to Ukrainian president said.
[…] He even referred to India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission saying: ‘Yes, India has launched a lunar rover presently and is now trekking on the surface of the Moon, but that does not indicate that this country fully comprehends what the modern world is about’.
Podolyak’s words caused a strong reaction on the internet, especially from Indian users. One of them wrote ‘that’s why we are on the Moon and they are in minefield’.”
This episode comes a week after Podolyak told Ukrainian media that Pope Francis’ ‘pro-Russia stance’ disqualified him from acting as a peacemaker – and also after the reaction to the G20 summit.
The Hindu reported:
“The remarks from Mykhailo Podolyak, Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, came just days after Ukraine’s foreign ministry described the Joint Declaration at the New Delhi G20 summit as ‘nothing to be proud of’.
[…] The remark made in Ukrainian spread through Russian state-run Sputnik news agency, and other channels, creating a worldwide flutter and drew countless critical remarks from Indians and people from other parts of the developing world online. The Ministry of External Affairs is yet to react on the comment.
[…] In Wednesday’s clarification, Mr Podolyak blamed Russia for weakening ‘the global world by trying to break international law’ and added, ‘One way or another, it is irrational to ignore this due to situational and regional economic interests, as it has long-term consequences’. He also blamed the controversy regarding his observations on “intellectual potential” of India and China on ‘classic Russian propaganda’.”
The bad reactions came from everywhere, including from China.
TASS reported:
“Ukrainian authorities must explain the remark made by Ukrainian Presidential Office head’s advisor Mikhail Podolyak regarding the ‘weak intellectual potential’ of China and India, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
‘I have no knowledge of the background of this statement’, she said during a briefing, answering a question from a journalist. ‘[Podolyak] must provide an explanation and explain himself’.
[…] ‘This person [Podolyak] must scrupulously analyze [the situation] and develop a proper attitude’, Mao Ning concluded.”
After the statement from the Chinese, Podolyak was quick to declare that his words ‘were taken out of context’ and misinterpreted. He blamed Russian propaganda for that, claiming that it was the Russian side who ‘distorted their meaning’.
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