Russia’s armed forces are right behind its borders: what makes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tick? A portrait.
KIEV – Volodymyr Zelenskyy was long regarded as a former comedian who accidentally slipped into the presidency of Ukraine. Almost three years after his election, many Ukrainians are still not convinced of their president’s statesmanlike abilities. However, the crisis between Ukraine and Russia has put him in a new light.
While Moscow has massed more than 100,000 soldiers on the Ukrainian border in recent months and warned the US government of a possible Russian invasion “at any time”, the 44-year-old never even batted an eyelid.
“What should we do? Just one thing: stay calm,” the former TV star explained in January. The of the USA* declared February 16 as a possible invasion day he declared without further ado the “Day of Unity”* which the people of Ukraine should celebrate with national flags in their windows.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Ukraine Europe’s “shield” against Russia
At the Munich Security Conference he sounded more alarmed and called on the West to give up its policy of appeasement towards Moscow. His country is Europe’s “shield” against Russia*, which deserves more international support.
Zelenskyj’s political career began almost as a farce. He had no political experience until his election as President in 2019. His path to the presidency was similar to the script of his popular television series Servant of the People.
In the series, he played a history teacher who is elected president after a video of him railing against the country’s corruption went viral. In real life, too, Zelenskyi owed his popularity to his successful appearance on the Internet. Widespread dissatisfaction with the then head of state, Petro Poroshenko, ultimately helped him win the election.
Big step from comedian to Ukrainian President
But it was a big step from cracking sometimes vulgar jokes on television to leading a country. Some Ukrainians therefore feared the worst after the election victory of the actor from the Russian-speaking industrial city of Krywy Rig.
The fact that his first steps on the international political stage were hesitant did not increase confidence in him. “I think our international partners are having a hard time with him,” says Ukrainian political scientist Mykola Davydyuk. “You’re playing at a very high level that he can’t reach – and can’t understand.”
Zelenskyi caught in the Ukraine crisis between Russia and the US
Secretly, however, diplomats are quite impressed by the way the ex-comedian is handling the crisis with Moscow. “To be honest, he’s not doing badly,” says one diplomat. Selenskyj keep a cool head. “He has an impossible job, he’s caught between pressure from both the Russians and the Americans.”
For Zelenskyy, the confrontation with Moscow represents a turning point in his presidency. He took office in 2019 with a promise to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, in which Russia is allegedly supporting separatist fighters and in which around 14,000 people have been killed so far. A promise that he has not yet been able to keep. On the contrary: relations between neighboring countries have continued to deteriorate since then.
Ukraine conflict: Selenskyj’s trip to Munich also causes astonishment
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of misleading the Russian-speaking population in the Ukraine* discriminate against and fail to honor commitments to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine. And although Ukraine’s NATO accession, which Zelenskyy describes as a “dream”, will probably not be on the agenda for a long time, Moscow is increasing the pressure. In Munich, Zelenskyj now tried to increase the pressure on his part and demanded a “clear” time frame for Ukraine’s NATO accession.
In view of the danger of a Russian invasion, Zelenskyj’s trip to Munich also caused astonishment. US President Joe Biden called it “perhaps not the wisest decision”. However, Zelenskyy was probably hoping for concrete agreements on financial and military commitments from the talks on the sidelines of the security conference. In any case, he is never away from Kiev for long, he reassured the audience during his speech. “I had breakfast in Ukraine and will also have my dinner in Ukraine.” (AFP) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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