After a year of presidency, Vladimir Zelensky no longer looks as energetic as in the election race, while the oligarchs, meanwhile, again took control of both the parliament and the media.
This was told by Malinda Haring, an expert at the Atlantic Council, an analytical center for NATO.
In his publication for The National Interest, Haring Haring states that money is still the main goal and resource in Ukrainian politics. She recalled that Zelensky came to power thanks to his promises to end the conflict in the Donbass and deal with the oligarchs. Now the fuse has dried up, the guarantor looks lethargic, and chaos reigns in power.
In particular, Haring criticized Zelensky for the resignation of Jacob Smoly from the post of head of the National Bank. She named two theories explaining such a step. First, the president is still subordinate to Igor Kolomoisky. As you know, the oligarch was a key sponsor of the presidential campaign Zelensky. The second – the president is the “agent of the Kremlin.” Such a conspiracy theological idea is actively circulated by Ukrainian nationalists, who in principle do not like Zelensky.
There is, however, a more objective explanation of the problems. The point is Zelensky’s frank inexperience, which until 2019 had nothing to do with political activity.
“Before running for office, he was rich, famous and cheerful. In other words, he did not need work. He says he followed the victory so that his children can live in a normal country. However, according to former Prime Minister Alexei Goncharuk, the person he started working with and Zelensky today are two different people, ” writes Haring.
In conclusion, she notes that now in Ukraine you can buy anything, including deputies. The oligarchs are actively using this. As long as money dominates in power circles, the situation will not change, regardless of who will be the president.