How Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Wins World Respect in 2022

When Volodymyr Zelenskyy became president of Ukraine in 2019, it made headlines around the world.

That’s not because he’s a political heavyweight arguably poised to tackle Ukraine’s deep-seated challenges — from economic crisis to corruption and a powerful, entrenched oligarch — not to mention. to the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.

It’s completely the opposite. Zelenskyy is a political novice who came closest to politics when he played the president of Ukraine in a popular domestic TV series, before life imitated art and he decided to launch his election campaign. his own president on New Year’s Eve 2018.

When he won a landslide victory in the presidential election in March 2019, no one could have predicted that the once actor, writer and comedian would become one of the most famous politicians and comedians. most respected in the world after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But under his leadership, along with the bravery of the Ukrainian armed forces and the resilience of the civilian population, Ukraine fought back and Zelenskyy won many accolades (he had just won acclaim from the Journal). Time and FT honored him as “Person of the Year”) for the wartime leadership he was brought into.

“I think Zelenskyy has proven to be a remarkable leader and a remarkably effective leader, both as a military leader and as a public figure – in terms of construction. build international support for Ukraine, and at least be able to keep some things going domestically despite the war,” Max Hess, a fellow at the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies, told CNBC.

“They’ve continued to pass legislation in line with previous reform packages to gain international support. And then, of course, I find what’s really interesting is how. [much of an] inspirational leader, he got to most people,” he added.

Hess said that although Zelenskyy certainly had his critics when he became president, their suspicions were dismissed.

“There are a lot of people who are very critical of Zelenskyy [before the war]both in Ukraine and especially in the Ukrainian diaspora abroad, who see him as too soft or weak or pro-Russian, or essentially, potentially dependent on oligarchs… Obviously, none of that has been proven true,” Hess said.

“The reality is, I wish we had politicians like Zelenskyy in the West at this point in time. But to alleviate that, it would mean that he would make the perfect wartime president in America. Ukraine, if there’s peace? That’s not for me to say, that’s obviously what the Ukrainians can say. But right now, behind … the wartime leadership that he showed, I definitely think he’s going to get global support there for a long time.”

For his part, Zelenskyy tried to downplay his courageous stance towards Russia, tell FT that he’s “responsible rather than brave” and just doesn’t want to “let people down.”

Since the beginning of the war, however, Zelenskyy has been a visible leader, having a direct presence in Ukraine, visiting the front lines and war-torn towns and cities. He famously turned down an offer from the US to evacuate him and his family from Kyiv, with the Ukrainian embassy in the UK tweeting that he had replied that he needed ammunition, rather than a ride out. out of the country.

Many believed that Moscow thought it could occupy its pro-Western neighbor without much hindrance and Moscow has reason to believe so – mild sanctions have been imposed on the country. Russia after it annexed Crimea in 2014, and global business with Russia continued as usual despite Russia’s support for separatists in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine, where a conflict Low-level breakthroughs have taken place since the merger.

Thus, the seeds of the current war were sown by the time Zelenskyy took office, but the Ukrainian president seemed reluctant to believe that his country could be pushed into war with its powerful, armed neighbour. nuclear gas.

Even at the end of January 2022, Zelenskyy is downplaying the threat of an invasion despite the presence of more than 100,000 Russian troops along the border with Ukraine, saying there is no need to “panic”. He is seeking to maintain economic stability amid growing Western fears that Russia is preparing for invasion.

However, the US warned in January that there was a “clear possibility” that the invasion could take place in February – a prediction that proved correct on 24 February.

Now, Ukraine is defending itself and fighting against Russian forces despite the fatigue and deprivation caused by the months-long war and the bombardment of parts of the country, especially the eastern part of the country. eastern and southern Ukraine.

The country’s armed forces, armed with a wide range of Western-supplied weapons, defied all expectations as they continued to counterattack and defend their territory, regaining important parts in the east. and southern Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy, had to get used to a daily series of global diplomatic meetings and briefings in which he had to plead for support, weapons and financial aid, as well as updates. to civilians daily and nightly about the war.

He must also follow the path of strict diplomacy, knowing that Ukraine relies on the generosity of its friends – for billions of dollars worth of weapons and the ability to bear higher food and energy prices due to sanctions – to continue fighting with Russia. Sometimes it’s an awkward path.

Have a media report In June, US President Joe Biden got angry with Zelenskyy with reports that Biden had just finished telling his Ukrainian counterpart that he had just given the green light to another $1 billion in military assistance when Zelenskyy started listing all the extra help he needed and didn’t ‘don’t get,’ got Biden to speak up and tell him he could express more gratitude.

Following the reported contradictions, Zelenskyy released a statement praising the generosity of the American public and regularly expressing gratitude to Ukraine’s allies for supporting them in their fight against Russia. of Kiev.

The three main challenges facing the government are related to the security, economy and health of Ukraine’s democracy, Lutsevych said in a recent Chatham House briefing.

On the security front, for example, Lutsevych notes that Ukrainians have a strong need for Ukraine to become part of NATO, but it is highly unlikely that Ukraine will be able to join the military alliance for many years – or forever forever – “so this is a challenge that Zelenskyy has … because there is a need for it [NATO membership] and it’s not an easy thing” to deliver, she said.

“Secondly, the economy, Ukraine is facing a severe economic downturn due to Russia’s aggression. Its economy could shrink by as much as 40% this year and Ukraine depends a lot on it. Western support as well as the ability to collect taxes on its own and the budget is full of needed capital, so there is a question of how to maintain that economic support. Western aid has come but not enough and quite slowly,” she added.

“Finally, on democracy, there is a discussion about the quality of the media space [in Ukraine] because under the Martial Law, there is some censorship and information security, especially regarding military operations,” she said.

Lutsevych added that several TV channels affiliated with former President Petro Poroshenko had been removed from the umbrella news channel, raising questions about whether it was done in order to limit the influence of the political opposition. for national debate or not.

Despite such challenges, Lutsevych notes that, overall, Zelenskyy is highly valued by the Ukrainian people for rallying both the country’s forces and the public on a daily basis.

“More than 90% [of Ukrainians] endorse his performance, they think he has managed to generate quite substantial opposition to Russia’s age-old aggression in Ukraine, but has also mobilized Western support in this conflict and this is something that is appreciated by Ukrainians and they believe that his personal behavior — by staying in Kyiv and not fleeing the country — was able to stabilize the country.”