Elected in 2019, he is greeted abroad for his “cool”, but a majority of his fellow citizens do not trust him to effectively defend the country.
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When it comes to power, in April 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky is a head of state without political or military experience, which is known only for his role as president … in a television series. This is now confronted with the most serious crisis in Europe since the end of the Cold War, with the threat of a major offensive of Russia, including more than 150,000 soldiers encircle Ukraine. Powered to the heart of international attention, this former 44-year-old comedian today chains the talks with the highest managers in Europe and the United States.
The extraordinary pressure to which he is subjected has further strengthened, on Monday, February 21, with the recognition by Moscow of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Louhansk, east of Ukraine. The decision of Vladimir Putin, announced after a long speech “paranoid”, according to the Elysée, shattered the Minsk agreements, signed in February 2015 and supposed to put an end to the conflict with the protracted separatists in the donbass. “We are on our land. We are not afraid of anything, we do not have to nobody, we will concede anything to anyone,” retorted the Ukrainian president in an address to the nation, denouncing a “violation of Sovereignty and territorial integrity “.
Initial procrastination
“This is no longer the same man as at the beginning of his term, observes Oleksiy Melnyk, codirector of the Razumkov reflection center, in Kiev. He looked very sure of him in his speech, despite the situation very dangerous. “Accused of naivety vis-à-vis Russia at the beginning of his presidency, Volodymyr Zelensky understood that it would not be enough to put up arms and” looking in the eyes “with Vladimir Putin to end to the conflict, as he had stated in 2019. “He realized that he was dealing with an adversary, predator and cynical, hostile to any compromise and who required unilateral concessions of Ukraine,” says The researcher.
When the new crisis bursts with Moscow, in October 2021, Volodyymyr Zelensky sows doubt and mistrust by publicly contradicting Washington on the magnitude of the Russian threat to Ukrainian borders. In the country, many then emphasize its inexperience and wonder: does the president understand at least what is happening? Is it less well informed than the United States?
After a few procrastination – he ends up rallying to the American position before taking, again, his distances – the president sets a cape: reassure the population by temperating the alarming speech of Washington, even if to give the impression to minimize the threat, bempt the reminder from its international partners to obtain military aid, require that they take preventive sanctions – in vain – and avoid at all costs to create panic in Ukraine to save the economy , already affected before even an offensive took place.
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