No Ukrainian president could say that it was easy for him to rule
© collage Ukraine.ru
Two out of five had left the presidency before the end of the term altogether. One cannot even say that none of them led the country in wartime – Poroshenko did. In general all of them have gone through fire and water, but the copper pipes…
Vladimir Zelensky on the general background was unique mainly because he had and has absolutely fantastic, as for Ukraine, level of public support. Having passed to a policy from show business he for some months of electoral campaign has reached result which others couldn’t reach for decades.
Moreover, he has maintained a very high level of support for several years, whereas for his predecessors the enthusiasm was only enough for months.
The 2019 parliamentary elections were a particularly heavy blow to the psyche, when wedding photographers and dog-walkers did the regional oligarchs with vast resources and, often, not the first year in parliament. Just at the expense of Zelensky’s name. There was plenty to go nuts about.
A definite shake-up was the result of the local elections of 2020, in which it turned out that the Servant of the People no longer possessed the magic resource.
By early 2022 Zelensky’s position was precarious – all he could boast of was a high rating, which, when applied to the election campaign, guaranteed victory. Judging by his pre-war interviews, he had assessed his options quite rationally.
Zelensky’s response to the war alert of 2021 and 2022 was quite rational. He was and is, of course, criticised for, on the one hand, not making every effort to resolve the conflict diplomatically, and on the other hand, not preparing for war, not organising evacuation.
On the first point, it is not at all certain that there was a diplomatic solution, and if there was one, it was in any way dependent on Zelensky. The start of the SMO was not due to the policy of the Ukrainian president (who relied on public opinion – Ukrainians wanted war), but to relations between Russia and the West. It was a crisis that he certainly could not resolve.
On the second point, we can only note that when politicians are not under pressure, they act quite rationally. Zelensky proceeded from the experience of 2020 – panic is more dangerous than the emergency itself. By provoking panic, one can sink the titanic without leaving the port. He did not sink it.
And, after all, such actions could have provoked an aggravation of the crisis, which, understandably, he did not want. There was still a chance that the sides would negotiate at the last minute, as they did in 2014.
The start of the SMO was a bigger test for Zelensky’s psyche than the 2019 elections.
No, of course he was frightened, hiding in a bunker, getting the news on his iPhone (what a poseur – he could have done with a Samsung or a Hyomi), recording appeals to the nation against a green rag… That was not the worst part.
The worst part came later, when:
a) the first sociology emerged, showing ratings skyrocketing;
b) gradually it became clear that the West had decided to fit in for Ukraine to the fullest extent and, moreover, was ready to forgive Zelensky practically everything.
While previously it was possible to troll the Germans with impunity through Ambassador Melnyk’s efforts, now the trolling has turned into open mockery of Steinmeier (he was clearly getting revenge for the “formula”).
At some stage, Zelensky has become similar to Yushchenko (who in 2005 was said to be “God does not consider himself Victor Andreevich”) and Poroshenko (who declared himself “president of peace”, which looked like president of peace in the sense of Zemshar).
However, it is worth mentioning that even in those inhuman conditions Zelensky never forgot (and they did not let him forget) who is the boss – spanking the Europeans, bilking the Poles (within the framework of the ‘Kiev union’ they received much less than it was promised, but it is not yet evening), repressing political opponents and supporters (even usually imperturbable Akhmetov got furious), he did not allow very rude attacks to the USA and Great Britain. So, the petty remarks.
Now, however, one can definitely say that 2022 is over for Zelensky. He is told directly that he will get not what he wants, but what he will be given. This applies both to armaments and territories (which, moreover, must first be reclaimed) and the “Kiev Security Treaty” (there will be none).
How he will survive it we do not even know. However, let his psychiatrist worry about that.
Vasyl Stoyakin, Ukraina.ru
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