ListNook

PoolRamen Apr 20, 2026 +1707

That's a complicated relationship

1707

Vijigishu Apr 20, 2026 +1125

India specializes in complicated relationships

1125

sloopywettoppyswife Apr 20, 2026 +354

Turkey aswell Turkey criticizes the west for russian sanctions, but Turkey also says that Turkey welcomes Ukraine and Georgia into NATO(something that Russia deeply opposes), but The West is too p**** to provoke Russia

354

Rock_mage Apr 20, 2026 +158

Some Turkish politicians also supported Hamas and gave them funding and support when they had the election in Gaza. Currently have them labeled as "freedom fighters".

158

ZhanBlue Apr 20, 2026 +156

While previously being allied with Israel against Armenia and Iran lol

156

AndrewCoja Apr 20, 2026 +65

And now threatening to attack Israel in defense of Lebanon.

65

ZhanBlue Apr 20, 2026 +24

Well, that at least aligns with image they are projecting, only hypocrite part is that those are empty threats

24

Illustrious_Cap2327 Apr 21, 2026 +10

so Azerbaijan is against Iran but friendly with Israel and Turkey ? oof Geopolitics is messy especially the Balkans, Russian, Caucasian and Middle East states. I even read somewhere that Qatar World Cup happened to prevent Saudi takeover of Qatari business, mind blowing stuff

10

The_Rat_Attack Apr 20, 2026 +42

Pretty interesting how India and Turkey’s location has made for such a complex geo-political position.

42

Jack_Krauser Apr 20, 2026 +5

Pakistan is a really interesting one as well. They are simultaneously allied to the US and China which sometimes puts them in extremely awkward positions.

5

ThatGuyInThePlace Apr 21, 2026 +23

Especially when they lie to us & hide our number 1 target for a decade.

23

Maker99999 Apr 21, 2026 +1

No nation is a monolith, especially as inequality and corruption increase. Most of the financing and hijackers for 9/11 came from Saudi Arabia and they are still big allies of the US. A lot of these complicated relationships come down to the competing personal interests of a few corrupt leaders and oligarchs.

1

ThatGuyInThePlace Apr 21, 2026 +1

Agreed

1

I-Might-Be-Something Apr 20, 2026 +7

Not to mention the Turks backed Azerbaijan over Russian backed Armenia, and that the Turks backed the Government of National Accord over the Russian backed Tobruk based House of Representatives in the Libyan Civil War. Oh, and the two actively fought each other in Syria. It's a weird relationship.

7

redditvirginboy Apr 20, 2026 +12

Except Turkey goes overboard and ending up hurting itself sometimes, like they bought S-400 then got kicked out of the F-35 codevelipment program and now they are rushing their own 5th gen fighter development and still dependent on some US technologies.

12

CursorX Apr 20, 2026 +12

Yep, literally having a bridge joining Asia and Europe going through your capital, sums it all. Edit - financial capital

12

Arch2000 Apr 20, 2026 +9

FYI Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey

9

CursorX Apr 20, 2026 +5

Oh yes! You are correct. Forgot that it was Ankara.

5

Galaghan Apr 20, 2026 +2

Konstantinopel?

2

pasarina Apr 20, 2026 +1

We’re got a bunch of lying weak buffoons at the helm that are too compromised to do what is needed to keep us from falling deeper into the depths of the bottom of the barrel.

1

fallingdowndizzyvr Apr 20, 2026

> Turkey criticizes the west for russian sanctions That's because Turkey is making bank laundering Russian oil. As is India.

0

Fritzo2162 Apr 20, 2026 +1

You mean **Türkiye?**

1

justtemporaryaccount Apr 20, 2026 -1

Funnily enough india and turkey don't seem to get along which is crazy.

-1

RTX-2020 Apr 20, 2026 +22

Why would they? Turkey is always on Pakistan's side on India-Pak conflicts

22

justtemporaryaccount Apr 20, 2026 +8

Yeah no, I get that, but 2 countries that have a history of getting along with everyone, you'd expect them to get along to. It's just amusing.

8

yaaro_obba_ Apr 20, 2026 +117

["Complicated" is an understatement ](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/defence/pact-allowing-india-russia-to-station-3000-troops-5-warships-10-aircraft-in-each-others-territory-operational-report/articleshow/130361423.cms)

117

vonGlick Apr 20, 2026 +56

As a good host India should allow Ukrainian troops to station in India too. Actually they should allow them into the same base. Maybe entire war could be decided in one battle in India.

56

dellsamsungmotorola Apr 20, 2026 +104

Maahaaaabhaaaarrraaaaattt🎵🎵

104

thesilentspeaker Apr 20, 2026 +36

I chuckled! Too bad not many people here will understand this.

36

Hegde137 Apr 20, 2026 +25

Neutral venue. Zelensky vs Putin. 1v1 would be something I’d pay to watch.

25

Alone_Again_2 Apr 20, 2026 +2

Have you pitched this idea to Bollywood yet?

2

barath_s Apr 21, 2026 +3

That's not a great article. - Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) is about logistics ; India and the US have similarly signed LEMOA, COMCASA and BECA agreements, with LEMOA being the logistics framework agreement signed a decade ago, and having been exercised by both India and the US since

3

Affectionate-Cap-920 Apr 20, 2026 +40

Russia did the same ig and as per their deal, India can station around 3000 troops in Russia and vice versa.

40

CucumberWisdom Apr 20, 2026 +22

Not really. India is the master of playing both sides so that they come out on top. They've been doing it for decades

22

trisul-108 Apr 20, 2026 +66

India being masters at it does not make it uncomplicated.

66

chintakoro Apr 20, 2026 +107

there’s no “both sides” for India — the Indian gov’t is elected to only play India’s side

107

Eastern_Hornet_6432 Apr 20, 2026 +5

Yep if any world government practices Machiavellianism it's India.

5

rhnltnsy16 Apr 20, 2026 +38

They are not on top though so them being "master" at it is questionable.

38

Outrageous_1845 Apr 20, 2026 +53

No foreign power has bombed the country, sponsored a coup attempt or a civil war yet, so they're doing something right.

53

nemoknows Apr 20, 2026 +15

Great Britain: Am I a joke to you?

15

Outrageous_1845 Apr 20, 2026 +24

\*post-independence lol

24

thesilentspeaker Apr 20, 2026 +10

What do you call Pakistan/ China wars? Or the "foreign hand" narrative that was front and center for majority of the 80s and 90s? Even today there are attempts to curb India's sovereignty, but India endures. Mostly because the first prime minister Pandit Nehru got Non alignment right. And the current regime has been smart enough to take that to the next level, and benefit from it

10

Outrageous_1845 Apr 20, 2026 +15

Dude, nobody's arguing that the wars DIDN'T happen. These were between India and China, not some grand Cold War-era geopolitical play (this time).

15

DDOSBreakfast Apr 20, 2026

Are you forgetting about the Sino–Indian War?

0

Outrageous_1845 Apr 20, 2026 +34

No? The Sino-Indian War was neither a Iran-scale bombing of India, a sponsored coup attempt nor a civil war. It was a border dispute that western countries were not directly involved in.

34

thesilentspeaker Apr 20, 2026 -1

Just because western countries weren't involved it doesn't count as a war? If the white man doesn't deem it, it's not a war? Also there are still conspiracy theories that say that the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri was a CIA sponsored coup attempt, but it's never been proven and even if it was, no one is ever going to take responsibility for it, because it didn't work.

-1

Outrageous_1845 Apr 20, 2026 +2

Read my comment carefully. > it's never been proven And therefore, my points still stand.

2

No_Tree_8144 Apr 20, 2026 +39

I mean amongst all the countries in the world that didn't "pick" a side. they're probably doing the best. Switzerland would be the "best" but they're not even remotely in the same geopolitical playfield as india or almost anything really so that wouldn't be a fair comparison

39

freakedmind Apr 20, 2026 +2

India is Mac from IASIP?

2

jungle_jungle Apr 20, 2026 -17

Bhai itna bhi nhi bolna hai. Master and coming out on top abhi tak kahi nhi hua hai. Agar hoga that can be appreciated

-17

Pitiful-Sandwich-787 Apr 20, 2026 +9

Can’t even see anyone say anything positive about your nation huh?

9

[deleted] Apr 20, 2026 -5

[deleted]

-5

KingPictoTheThird Apr 20, 2026 +27

Isn't india a wheat exporter?

27

barath_s Apr 21, 2026 +1

And to grow wheat it imports significant amount of fertilizer from both Ukraine and Russia

1

wo_kya_hobe Apr 20, 2026 +25

No we DON'T REALLY want any c**** and dependable grain from anyone. We produce way more grains than we consume. There are a lot things that Ukraine can sell us, grain(especially the one for consumption)isn't one of them.

25

syberman01 Apr 21, 2026 +1

India is a net importer of pulses. > India is a net importer of pulses. In 2023, India's pulse trade deficit was US$2.4 billion as imports were valued at US$3.1 billion, while exports were valued at US$704.7 million. > Canada's top pulses exported to India were lentils with values of US$543.9 million (91.6% market share),

1

thegamingcupcake Apr 21, 2026 +8

Pulses ≠ Wheat

8

comelickmyarmpits Apr 21, 2026 +3

Tf? India exports grains lol

3

BMCarbaugh Apr 20, 2026 +467

It's wild how Russia's invasion not only didn't defeat Ukraine's military in 3 days, but catalyzed its transformation into the world's foremost authority in drone warfare.

467

seancbo Apr 20, 2026 +172

And by responding to "NATO expansion on its borders" also literally expanded NATO on its borders lmao

172

SpaceTimeChallenger Apr 20, 2026 +40

Doubling it almost

40

tophernator Apr 20, 2026 +26

In terms of total border length isn’t it more like 10x? Finland’s border is waaay longer than the baltics.

26

SpaceTimeChallenger Apr 20, 2026 +5

True

5

Redditforgoit Apr 21, 2026 +7

“A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.” Jean de La Fontaine

7

BMCarbaugh Apr 21, 2026 +2

Great quote.

2

Treewithatea Apr 20, 2026 +25

Most of all, it feels like Russia with this war lost its status as a superpower. Not even Trump talks with him or about him anymore.

25

GradeSalad Apr 20, 2026 +46

>Not even Trump talks with him or about him anymore. Trump just lifted Russian oil sanctions, I can't imagine that being done without Trump immediately calling before or after to ask if he's been a good boy.

46

deaglebingo Apr 20, 2026 +5

honestly the entire thing with iran and the rest is almost like "someone" with a lot more brain power wrote it all down for him. like a christmas wish list basically. or a helsinki/alaska wish list.

5

Designer_Hat_6387 Apr 20, 2026 +1

Don't worry, Trump is hurriedly trying to balkanize the U.S. so that Russia doesn't go down alone.

1

deaglebingo Apr 20, 2026 +3

but at what cost?... most ppl there went without heat this entire past winter for example, which says nothing of the rest of the suffering. it didn't need to be like this if any other country had simply stopped it straightaway. still could. my point is nobody wants to be a foremost authority on drone warfare, they were forced to. it shouldn't take being the authority on more advanced but c**** killing techniques and hardware for anyone to care about you.

3

BMCarbaugh Apr 21, 2026 +1

Well, sure. No one's saying it's a good thing or that Ukraine has benefited from this war. Obviously it's a horrifying nightmare and anyone sane in this world would like to see it ended tomorrow. I was just making an observation that Russia has completely counteracted its original goal. They wanted total control, and instead got an enemy so relentlessly committed and hardened that it's begun to rattle the Russian government itself. They ran headfirst into what's turned out to be a concrete wall.

1

narayan77 Apr 21, 2026 +1

Do you think Putin will appreciate a Drone Quadcopter from Amazon for his birthday.

1

BMCarbaugh Apr 21, 2026 +2

Yeah but only if it's a surprise

2

Aggressive-Office301 Apr 20, 2026 +257

How will this affect India Russia relations , only time will tell

257

Affectionate-Cap-920 Apr 20, 2026 +162

They recently signed a pact which allows both nations to station troops in each other's territories and many more things.

162

jisookenobi2416 Apr 20, 2026 +32

India is friends with pretty much everyone besides Pakistan. They are friends with both Israel and Iran, for example. They understand this.

32

trisul-108 Apr 20, 2026 +97

Russia is losing the ability to provide anything of value to India.

97

Major_Wayland Apr 20, 2026 +39

Russia is losing resources to trade or relationships with India?

39

hdhdbshshshsush Apr 20, 2026 +86

We (India) are reducing our reliance on Russia for defence, because they're increasingly becoming dependent on China. We can't rely on them anymore.

86

socialistrob Apr 20, 2026 +25

> because they're increasingly becoming dependent on China. That's a big part of it but on a more macro level the Russia-India security arrangements were always likely time limited. It takes time and investment to build a defense industry but long term there's no reason why India can't design their own fighters, air defense systems, missiles and other weapons. India is a large enough country that long term they should be able to make everything they need themselves which removes the ability of other nations to cut off weapons in an emergency. It also means that military spending can stay in India which effectively makes Indian weapons cheaper. Right now India doesn't have the capacity to make everything internally but I imagine it's only a matter of time until that changes.

25

hdhdbshshshsush Apr 20, 2026 +9

absolutely, our indigenous fighter jet programme is picking up steam now. Tejas Mk1A deliveries should commence by the end of the year. We have missiles, air defence systems designed in India too. But we do depend on US for GE 404 engines, and it's been a big issue because the US govt keeps blocking exports. That's only accelerated calls for funding the indigenous Kauveri engine.

9

peppermanfries Apr 21, 2026 +2

Long-term is a long way away. We have serious structural issues in India. Corruption at literally every single level of government doesn't help things. Our astronomical taxes go nowhere other than bureaucrats pockets and we have a culture of foregoing quality for short term profits. Idk if I am against the grain here but I don't think we can seriously provide anything of value in this space for the next 25-30 years.

2

Major_Wayland Apr 20, 2026 +12

Reducing relationships with someone is exactly the recipe to give them more initiative to get closer with someone else. US is the perfect example of such policy now.

12

hdhdbshshshsush Apr 20, 2026 +17

we're not reducing relationship but rather reliance, and only in defence while increasing trade co-operation.

17

LowPunching_Owl Apr 21, 2026 +1

I wonder if this impacts the ukraine - china relationship, which is way more important for drone materials

1

yaaro_obba_ Apr 20, 2026 +107

>Zelenskyy says Ukraine has reached a security cooperation arrangement with India — documents being finalized >Ukraine has reached a security cooperation arrangement with India, with the paperwork now being finalized, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his evening video address on 19 April. >Zelenskyy said Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and Ukraine's lead negotiator, had briefed him on the contacts with New Delhi shortly before the address was recorded. >"There is already an arrangement on security cooperation with India — we are finalizing it so that there are documents. Rustem has just briefed me on the details," Zelenskyy said. >Part of a wider push into Asia and the Gulf >The India track is part of a broader effort to expand Ukraine's security footprint beyond Europe. On 11 April, Zelenskyy said Kyiv had begun negotiations with Asian countries on technology exports. Before that, Ukraine established security contacts with Middle Eastern states, including the Persian Gulf, offering its military expertise in defense against Iranian drones. On 1 April, Zelenskyy said that expertise was already producing results in the region in countering Iranian UAVs. >According to LIGA.net, Umerov has become "one of the key trump cards" of Zelenskyy's team in the Middle East, as described by Oleksandr Merezhko, a Servant of the People MP and chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy. >Zelenskyy said Umerov is currently working with several countries and that more agreements are expected. He stressed that the army, defense capabilities, and air defense remain the state's priority. >Recent European defense agreements >The India arrangement follows a string of European defense deals signed earlier in April: >On 14 April in Berlin, Zelenskyy signed an agreement on closer defense cooperation with Germany, particularly on air defense and unmanned aerial vehicle technologies. >The same day, Ukraine and Norway signed an agreement on industrial cooperation covering joint drone production and exchange of military experience. >On 16 April, Zelenskyy signed a defense cooperation document with the Netherlands. >Unblocking EU support and sanctions on Russia >In the same address, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is preparing new work with European partners to unblock a support package that has been approved but has not yet begun arriving. "It is important to unblock it," he said. >He also commented on US policy on Russian oil: "Unfortunately, there is another decision by America to ease oil sanctions. There will be no real benefit from this for diplomacy, and every dollar from oil only sets Russia up to keep fighting." >Zelenskyy said Ukraine's long-range strikes continue to degrade Russian oil infrastructure. "Just in this March, Russian oil losses from our long-range capability are estimated at at least 2 billion 300 million dollars. That is one month. Now, in April, we continue," he said. >He singled out the 1st Separate Center of Unmanned Systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 98th Reconnaissance Center of the Special Operations Forces, the 19th Missile Brigade, the 360th Separate Coastal Missile Brigade, and Ukraine's special services — the Security Service of Ukraine and intelligence agencies — for their role in the strikes. He said he had discussed continued long-range operations with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

107

trisul-108 Apr 20, 2026 +88

>Zelenskyy said Ukraine's long-range strikes continue to degrade Russian oil infrastructure. Those are the only sanctions that really work.

88

OrvilleTheSheep Apr 20, 2026 +45

Kinetic sanctions are the most effective kind

45

Sxualhrssmntpanda Apr 21, 2026 +3

Especially as long as Krasnov gets to ease them without being branded as a traitor somehow.

3

GrayRoberts Apr 20, 2026 +141

The writing is plain for everyone to see now. C**** drone Zerg strategy > golden missile defense. Ukraine leads the world in swarm interception technology and people are ready to cut deals to license that tech. It's wild that Ukraine has taken the lead in modern combat systems.

141

Gossipmang Apr 20, 2026 +68

Its a fight for their very survival. Success in modern warfare is their only option. Its crazy though

68

Aedeus Apr 20, 2026 +22

Necessity it the mother of invention and there's really no necessity greater than the survival of your people.

22

tackybadge Apr 20, 2026 +15

I love that they are building alliances and sharing technology around the world. I worry that one or some of these countries share that technology with Russia. Russia having the c**** drone tech is not good.

15

jesjimher Apr 20, 2026 +27

Ukraine may be number one, but let's not be naive. Russia is a close second.

27

MarechalDavout Apr 21, 2026 +9

Russia doesn’t need defence agreement to see how Ukraine does drone warfare, they can copy immediatly at the source

9

GrayRoberts Apr 20, 2026 +15

Russia _has_ c**** drone tech, from Iran. It would seem however that Russian can't build quality drones even when they're c**** though. It's the Iranian drone tech that pushed Ukraine to develop a low cost interceptor.

15

tackybadge Apr 20, 2026 +3

Seem like Russia has c**** drone tech while Ukraine has \_inexpensive\_ drone tech. It's a literal arms race and I hope Russia doesn't get any back door help from some of these allies.

3

socialistrob Apr 20, 2026 +7

> C**** drone Zerg strategy > golden missile defense In modern large scale wars you need both. A high end system is great at stopping the most modern ballistic missiles which is certainly needed but if you ONLY have that then the enemy can overwhelm you with c**** drones. On the other hand if you can ONLY defend against c**** drones then even a small number of high end missiles can be absolutely crippling. Most countries seriously underestimated the need for low end systems to counter large scale numbers of drones and right now Ukraine is the world leader in that regard. It's not hard to stop a Shahed style drone but building systems that are effective and a fraction of the cost of a Shahed and deployable at scale is genuinely very difficult.

7

needlestack Apr 20, 2026 +3

The US, so overconfident in its military, could have been front and center for this but we screwed it up. Even under Biden our response was insufficient, but by electing Trump, we sealed our fate as being left behind. It’s fine. We deserve it.

3

SyrioForel Apr 20, 2026

Ukraine is not developing systems or technology, they are developing strategy and tactics that rely on c**** off-the-shelf consumer drones and some simple modifications. They are providing battle-hardened military advisors to allies, advisors who have experience using drones in real combat situations.

0

blahblahblerf Apr 20, 2026 +4

>Ukraine is not developing systems or technology LMFAO that's not even vaguely true. >rely on c**** off-the-shelf consumer drones and some simple modifications. This hasn't been true for a couple of years. The vast majority of our drones are purpose-built in Ukraine following Ukrainian designs.

4

TrickshotCandy Apr 20, 2026 +476

Zelensky may not be the most popular among Ukrainians, but holy moly he has been the leader they have needed.

476

Shot-Toe-2884 Apr 20, 2026 +244

Great leaders accept that their actions may make them unpopular. It's not surprising that Zelenksy has had to root out fraud and corruption in his own regime, that was the status quo of Ukrainian politics for a century. That's not getting fixed overnight, but Zelensky literally ran his campaign on anti-corruption, and has taken countless decisive steps in that direction since 2022. It could be so much worse right now under a different leader. He's the only western leader alive today with a spine. That makes up for his flaws ten-fold. Europe would be fighting off Russia in Poland and the baltics right now if not for Zelensky and Ukrainian bravery. Honestly, as an American, it's painful seeing Ukraine do everything the USA should be doing to shore up relationships right now. Ukraine cut deals with the gulf states on drones, not the USA. Ukraine cut a deal with India, not the USA. We are just pushing everyone away while Zelensky keeps doing all of the dirty work to defend global democracy. Europe is so lucky to have Ukraine's military strength and experience right now.

244

Mortgage5388 Apr 20, 2026 +8

i remember someone ran their campaign on anti corruption and won the election but rather than stopping it they just white washed it

8

FunkyCredo Apr 20, 2026 +27

As a Ukrainian this is a jaw dropingly ignorant comment Zelensky’s issues internally are almost all precisely because he not only completely failed to root out corruption but contributed to it + the insanity of some of his military decisions I fully acknowledge his enormous foreign policy and diplomatic relations successes which is why he is popular in the west but damn do people have no idea just how/why unpopular he is internally

27

CounterComplex6203 Apr 20, 2026 +20

To be fair: None of that stuff gets really out of ukraine mediawise.

20

FunkyCredo Apr 20, 2026 +18

True but personally its just tiring to see western audiences handwaving away criticism out of ignorance. We have english based news publications. Anyone actually interested can read up and get informed instead of just mythologizing what is in actuality a flawed man

18

raikou1988 Apr 20, 2026 +4

Okay il bite , name them List a few reasons how hes f****** up internally

4

FunkyCredo Apr 20, 2026 +27

Extremely public and corrupt attempt to take away independence of two anti corruption agencies to stop their investigations. Rolled back immediately when EU threatened to pull funding and mass protest across the country. A couple months later anti corruption agency released material showing insane levels of corruption in the energy sector which lead to many top level officials including energy minister being jailed. This expose than spilled over onto his right hand man, his chief of staff which he tried to protect for weeks until finally they did the whole “i resign” routine Failure to stop corruption in the defense sector specifically with the build out of defensive lines No follow up on corruption allegations in his inner circle His chief prosecutor and security services somehow constantly allow corrupt officials to flee abroad every time an investigation is announced despite the border being fully locked down Failure to stop corruption in military recruitment which is now a multi billion shadow industry No proper military leadership reform Killed the entire military drone industry before the war. No focus on drones for multiple years. Ukrainian drone revolution happened from grass roots not because of some strategy high up. Only now we have a proper focus at the top on it PR based military goals that sacrifice human lives. Many instances of orders to hold positions that are clearly lost until there is no way out for the soldiers. Example Bahmut. It goes on

27

SeaworthinessSome454 Apr 20, 2026 +39

“Great leaders accept that their actions may make them unpopular” is also the reasoning that dictators and others use to justify their actions. Trump certainly views himself like this. It’s a dangerous line to cross

39

signherehereandhere Apr 20, 2026 +19

The difference is leaders that does it accepting it will get them voted out in the next election. Dictators don't need elections and wannabe dictators will try to rig them.

19

SeaworthinessSome454 Apr 20, 2026 -6

Ukraine doesn’t do elections during war. Zelenskyy doesn’t have to worry about re-election.

-6

signherehereandhere Apr 20, 2026 +16

Not holding elections during war is not uncommon. England held off on elections during ww2. Churchill was a great war leader, but lost the first elections once the war was over.

16

helm Apr 20, 2026 +4

That's the problem. You can do a necessary thing and be judged harshly for it for decades. Maybe later your reputation will recover. You can also do evil things and masquerade them as necessary. Doing the right thing is often hard when governing a country.

4

I_read_this_comment Apr 20, 2026 +1

I dont mean this negatively at all and nobody thinks in this context but the meaning of "western" in Europe revolves about being in EU and acting like proper democratic country on the surface. Fundementally it means adhering and improving the 50 ascension points into the EU which is about economic, judicial, election, anti-corruption and freedom of press reforms. Hungary regressing on this and Turkey never really progressing on these points are good examples why they aren't really part or truly aligned with the "west" in EU. Ukraine is not "western" yet on that area but are going towards it at a seemingly lighting speed. And its admirable considering how bad and corrupt their country was before the Maidan protests in 2013-2014.

1

DrawGamesPlayFurries Apr 20, 2026 +9

Zelensky is by far the most popular among Ukrainians, he is only hated by Russia and the US

9

blahblahblerf Apr 20, 2026 +6

WTF are you talking about? The only public figure more liked and more trusted than Zelenskyy is Zaluzhnyy. No non-military public figure is anywhere close to Zelenskyy in terms of popularity and trust, not even Prytula.

6

miningman12 Apr 20, 2026 +15

He will realistically end up being Khmelnytsky tier in our history books regardless of his day to day popularity

15

DrawGamesPlayFurries Apr 20, 2026 +9

Well yeah, without him there would no longer be any post-2022 Ukrainian history books.

9

TrickshotCandy Apr 20, 2026 +7

I have some googling to do...

7

Ultra_Metal Apr 20, 2026 +16

Zelensky is incredibly popular in Ukraine.

16

Stnkrzn Apr 20, 2026 +5

any source whatsoever on zelensky not being popular among Ukranians?

5

sloopywettoppyswife Apr 20, 2026 +56

People just don't appreciate anything Winston Churchill lead the country to victory and he was ousted immediately after

56

SirSuicidal Apr 20, 2026 +65

War time leaders,.especially ones about survival of the nation and peace time leaders do not require the same skills. Churchill was not known as a good domestic politician

65

Prestigious-Lynx-177 Apr 20, 2026 +24

Churchill was immensely popular in 1945, but the Tory party were seen as bumbling morons who by appeasement led them into a war. It was the Tories deep unpopularity that lost that election, not Churchill himself.

24

chintakoro Apr 20, 2026 +70

well, he turned out to be a shit leader with no real vision in peace time. Probably was one all along, but only become apparent without an enemy to fight.

70

Prestigious-Lynx-177 Apr 20, 2026 +17

Nah, the consensus was that the public hated the Tories but not Churchill. The Tories were seen as the party of appeasement who stumbled into a war by allowing Hitler to expand (even though the majority of public did not want war and supported appeasement). Churchill focused on the war and left campaigning to his deeply unpopular Tories colleagues, Atlee was seen as the man really running the country and doing an ok job.

17

Diet_Fanta Apr 20, 2026 +25

Zelensky's party (Servant of the People) continuously tries to put through horrible legislation that undermines anti-corruption divisions within the government that are key to Ukraine eventually joining Europe. There's a good reason why he's disliked, and it's not because of his handling of the war. You clearly are not Ukrainian. Please don't try to speak for us and tell us that we 'don't appreciate anything'.

25

Arendious Apr 20, 2026 +9

That's an interesting (read, frustrating) problem. Is the public perception more that Zelensky is something of a "best of a bad bunch" and the party is mostly the problem, or is it closer to Zelensky *and* his party are the lesser evil while the war is on?

9

Diet_Fanta Apr 21, 2026 +3

The former.

3

Obvious_Yard_1846 Apr 20, 2026 +2

From the outside it seems like Zelensky has done a lot to fight corruption. Ukraine's reputation before him (especially pre 2014) was ...not great in terms of corruption.

2

Diet_Fanta Apr 20, 2026 +2

That is from the outside, but that fight has been ongoing since 2014 and was not put in place by him. [Here's an example of the shit that Servant of the People does](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_anti-corruption_protests_in_Ukraine#:~:text=On%2022%20July%202025%2C%20protesters,Dmytro%20Koziatynskyi%2C%20a%20war%20veteran.&text=Protesters%20shouted%20%22hands%20off%20NABU,criticized%20Zelenskyy%20and%20his%20administration.) Fact of the matter is, Zelensky was someone who was bankrolled heavily by oligarchs (Kolomoisky) and was unpopular prior to the war. He has been a stellar wartime leader in terms of garnering support for the country, but has been less than stellar on the domestic policy front, allowing oligarchs to continue entrenching themselves within the government and appointing people to high positions that were his friends/acquaintances (read: inexperienced) rather than based on merit. But yes, anything is good compared to pre 2014 lmao

2

srcLegend Apr 20, 2026

The most glaring issue with the "Zelensky is corrupt" narrative is why would such a corrupt person not take the [easy ride out of the war and request ammunition instead](https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/zelensky-refuses-us-offer-to-evacuate-saying-i-need-ammunition-not-a-ride/)? Corrupt people aren't exactly known to stand their ground in life-or-death scenarios...

0

Diet_Fanta Apr 20, 2026 +3

Nobody is saying that Zelensky as an individual is especially corrupt. That said, his party is not meritocratic and is absolutely corrupt. Also, quit bringing up the 'ammunition' quote - we get it, you're not ukrainian, you're not aware of internal politics. This is not me saying Zelensky needs to go or is a horrible leader - he's not. He's been fantastic since the war has begun and has proven himself many times over. This is me saying that the godlike narrative that some in the West have for him, puting him on a massive pedestal and claiming he's a perfect leader, is simply not true. Again, the criticism here is primarily with his party and the people he's put in positions of power. His party is terrible.

3

srcLegend Apr 20, 2026 +1

I do concede that from the outside looking in, we do have a different (and obviously limited) perspective, hence won't comment further regarding that. Though I do wonder, should elections be held today, are there better candidates, or would his party still be the "least bad" option?

1

Diet_Fanta Apr 20, 2026 +1

General elections should not be held today, imo. But if they were, yes, there are lots of better options out there. After the war, I think the parliament make up will change a lot.

1

sloopywettoppyswife Apr 20, 2026 +1

1) “Corrupt” doesn’t mean “cowardly” History gives plenty of examples where leaders accused of corruption still: stayed in power during wars, took personal risks, acted decisively under pressure, Personal courage, ambition, patriotism, and self-preservation can all coexist even in flawed leaders. So the idea: “If he stayed, he can’t be corrupt” doesn’t logically hold. 2) Staying was also the rational move for Volodymyr Zelenskyy When Russian invasion of Ukraine began: Leaving Kyiv could have: collapsed the government, triggered panic, weakened international support Staying: boosted morale, secured massive Western backing, cemented his legitimacy, Even from a purely self-interested perspective, staying increased his power and status. 3) Corruption is not binary, Another issue with the narrative: People often treat corruption as: either totally clean or totally corrupt. corruption can be: systemic,partial and indirect (through networks, allies, party members). So the real question isn’t: “Is he corrupt or not?” but: “To what extent, in what ways, and how does he act on it?” 4) Why the narrative persists The “Zelensky is corrupt” claim sticks around because: Ukraine has a long history of corruption issues. His party (Servant of the People) includes controversial figures and specific decisions (like the anti-corruption law you mentioned) fuel suspicion, but there’s no widely accepted evidence that Zelensky is personally corrupt in a clear cut way and his wartime leadership complicates simple narratives

1

srcLegend Apr 20, 2026 +2

While I agree that corruption does not necessarily mean cowardice, I will not answer further. Your reply reeks of LLM/slop. At least have the decency to have your own thoughts and write them out. And before you claim the usual defense of "English isn't my first language, so I used AI to blablabla", English is my third language. It's not that hard to write properly.

2

Mootio Apr 20, 2026 +4

That was more to do with Britain disliking the Conservatives, who, as a party, had overseen the universally terrible appeasement policy with Nazi Germany. Britain didn’t trust them to lead the post-war recovery. But the Conservatives did get re-elected with Winston Churchill as their leader in, I think, 1955?

4

lebennaia Apr 20, 2026 +3

The Tories were relected in 1951, with a small majority of 17. Churchill was extremely ill during his second term, having a major stroke in 1953, and suffering a notable mental decline. The party forced him to resign in 1955. The Tories would remain in power until 1964, when they lost the election due to numerous scandals.

3

TrickshotCandy Apr 20, 2026 +4

Brits paid dearly during the war,. They desperately wanted and needed things to change.

4

Worldly_Topic Apr 20, 2026 +3

>Winston Churchill lead the country to victory and he was ousted immediately after That guy was a complete POS and I hope he rots in hell.

3

w00t4me Apr 21, 2026 +3

79% approval rating is decent

3

Stnkrzn Apr 21, 2026 +2

Why are people up voting this bot account spreading false information? 0 proof zelensky isn't popular in ukraine

2

Inevitable_Prune3343 Apr 20, 2026 +4

It's very likely that in the next election that a person with a military background wins it all. Budanov or Zaluzhnyi both of them who are probably more hawkish than Zelensky are the leading figures.

4

Lonely-Abalone-5104 Apr 20, 2026 +2

Yeah, most other people probably would have taken a bribe or bowed out by now

2

J-the-Kidder Apr 20, 2026 +56

Damn, he wasn't joking when he told Trump to f*** off he doesn't need the US anymore.

56

deaglebingo Apr 20, 2026 +13

he doesn't. but if the US would get rid of it's current leader we could end the bullshit in ukraine rather quickly i'd imagine.

13

koshythomas Apr 20, 2026 +14

Just when you think you have seen it all...

14

yaaro_obba_ Apr 20, 2026 +8

Geopolitics is always a spectrum, but a majority of the people think it is Black and White.

8

br0wnb0y Apr 20, 2026 +42

Russia and India = Historical friends Ukraine and India = New friends Russia and Ukraine at India's birthday... AWKWARD!

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deaglebingo Apr 20, 2026 +15

americans over here just blasting kid rock and forgetting our own 250th birthday party and what it means.

15

Rathalos-487 Apr 20, 2026 +24

Isn’t India basically the definition of “I’m playing both sides so that way I’m always on top.” ?

24

JuliaChiId Apr 20, 2026 +24

They play for their own interests.

24

bangtansalt Apr 20, 2026 +25

They are sidestepping discussing the indian deal which allows russia access to indian bases and deploy troops and assets.

25

[deleted] Apr 20, 2026 +41

[deleted]

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[deleted] Apr 20, 2026 +16

[deleted]

16

Yoshichage Apr 20, 2026 +10

the enlightened le listnookeur

10

premature_eulogy Apr 20, 2026 +8

Yeah I see far more nuanced conversations here than on any other platform.

8

rit13t Apr 20, 2026 +4

Well, at least tDump has been able to bring the rest of the world to together.

4

[deleted] Apr 20, 2026 +11

[removed]

11

Tend_To_Zero Apr 20, 2026 +14

Read the article. Its about India's interest in Ukraine's drone and drone warfare expertise. Basically India is willing to pay Ukraine to get something on this from Ukraine, to which it seems there is some as acknowledgement. Thats it! India won't be signing a 10s of billion dollar deal here, and surely the value is small that Russia-India partnership is not impacted.

14

Pervius94 Apr 20, 2026 +12

Gotta love how without any prompting whatsoever, Russia and US just decided to completely implode on the world stage and make themselves pariahs for no reason, with many countries doing a shitton to become independent of them. China is laughing itself silly since they won by doing absolutely nothing.

12

Affectionate-Cap-920 Apr 20, 2026 +6

With this, india signed a pact with Russia too which allows both nations to station troops in each other's territories and many more things.

6

OperationClear588 Apr 20, 2026 +5

Sooooo India is working with both Russia and Ukraine 😂

5

jisookenobi2416 Apr 20, 2026 +7

Always have been. They're also friends with both Israel and Iran, for one.

7

AbsolutelyEnough Apr 20, 2026 +4

Isn’t India the largest buyer of Russian weapons? This relationship seems.. fraught.

4

Lightmanman Apr 20, 2026

Translation from diplomatic language: Zelensky hopes to buy decommissioned Soviet weapons from India with money he hopes the European Union will soon give him.

0

Mechasteel Apr 20, 2026 +2

From the frozen Russian assets?

2

AbideTheCold Apr 21, 2026 +1

I don’t think India will sell weapons to any side. Buying weapons for its own needs? Sure, but selling weapons to a nation at war signals active participation in the conflict which India would like to avoid. I think India also has some 2000+ T72s just sitting there that it wants to sell, and at one point both Ukraine and Russia showed interest in but India is just sitting on those because it doesn’t want to endanger its neutrality on the world stage.

1

Felonphantom Apr 20, 2026 +3

All the clowns in the comment section glazing Zelensky and talking about drones drones drones. This deal is nothing but Intel sharing to avoid a repeat of Ukrainian mercenaries on Indian soil like the bunch that was arrested a month ago.

3

[deleted] Apr 21, 2026 +2

[removed]

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Felonphantom Apr 21, 2026 +4

I dont care about him being a liar. But this glazing is so weird because they are just cooking up nonsense. India has nothing to do with Ukraine in military terms. Any drone tech, India needs, the Russians or Israelis can provide. This is just to contain the mercenaries entering India.

4

Enigmatic_Baker Apr 20, 2026 +2

I wonder how this relates to that unit of Ukrainian mercenaries+american the Indians caught a few months back?

2

Smooth_Rests Apr 20, 2026 +1

Ukraine expanding partnerships outside the usual Western bloc might matter more long-term than any single aid package.

1

Kamzil118 Apr 21, 2026 +1

Honestly, I'm not surprised. India had a few military contracts with Russia to modernize some of their vehicles and equipment... only for the Russian government to yoink said vehicles and equipment into the meatgrinder engagements with the Ukrainians. They know that they're not seeing any of their shit come back, so they reach out to the Ukrainians who are seemingly capable of sharing their technological experience and know-how since the Gulf countries are also receiving that assistance. Mind as well get in on that while the Ukrainians benefit from that relationship in a positive way.

1

Willing_Cause_7461 Apr 21, 2026 +1

The real dealmaker does it again

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Fine-Supermarket-704 Apr 24, 2026 +1

LOL good luck having relationships with India

1

itsallkk Apr 20, 2026

Probably a cover up for the terrorist activity in the north east india by Ukrainian nationals. It'd he interesting to see the terms of the deal.

0

Awkward_Patience_611 Apr 20, 2026 +1

Go India!

1

Awkward_Patience_611 Apr 21, 2026 +1

Last week Russia now Ukraine. Play all side get that money I guess.

1

xdeltax97 Apr 20, 2026 +1

Wonder if they will use this for their border with China in the sections they keep trying to take from India?

1

PuzzledCitron4951 Apr 20, 2026

How does that work with BRICS ?

0

Stock_Friendship_237 Apr 21, 2026

India in geopolitics is a total WTF country.. few days ago def pack with Russia.. now most probably ukraine.. usa is saying they are close to trade talk.. iran is saying india is friend.. then iran attacking indian ship.. usa sanctioning India.. the country with most impressive and chaotic geopolitics..

0

Ukraine reaches security deal with India — Zelenskyy says documents being finalized

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