Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kherson, Ukraine, November 14, 2022.
Press Office of the President of Ukraine | Reuters
When Volodymyr Zelensky became president of Ukraine in 2019, it made headlines around the globe.
Not because he was a political heavyweight who was seen as able to tackle Ukraine’s deep-seated challenges – from the economic crisis to corruption and an entrenched, powerful oligarchy – not to say the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.
It was exactly the alternative. Zelensky was a political newcomer whose closest contact with politics was because the president of Ukraine in a well known national television series, before life imitated art, and he decided to launch his own presidential candidacy on Latest 12 months’s Eve 2018.
When in March 2019 he won the presidential election with a landslide victory, nobody could have guessed that the previous actor, author and comedian would grow to be one of probably the most recognizable and revered politicians in the world after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the duvet of the Time 2022 “Man of the 12 months” issue.
Artwork by Neil Jamieson, photo by Maxim Dondyuk for TIME | Reuters
But under his leadership, with the fortitude of Ukraine’s armed forces and the resilience of its civilian population, Ukraine fought back, and Zelensky earned acclaim (he had just been named “Man of the 12 months” by each Time magazine and the FT) for the war leadership he was thrust into.
“I feel Zelensky has proven himself to be an excellent leader and very effective, each as a military leader and as a public figure – in terms of constructing support for Ukraine internationally, and in addition in terms of with the ability to at the least keep part of things going in the country despite the war Max Hess, a fellow on the Institute for Foreign Policy Research, told CNBC.
“They continued to pass laws consistent with previous international support reform packages. After which, of course, I feel the really interesting thing is how [much of an] an inspiring leader he was to almost everyone,” he added.
Hess said that while Zelensky definitely had his critics when he became president, their fears were dispelled.
“There have been many individuals who were very critical of Zelensky [before the war]each in Ukraine and particularly in the Ukrainian diaspora, who saw him as too soft, weak or pro-Russian, and above all, potentially related to oligarchs … of course, none of this turned out to be true,” Hess said.
“The truth is that I wish we had politicians like Zelensky in the West at this point. But to tone it down, does that mean he can be the right president of Ukraine without war if there was peace? It’s lower than me to say, it’s obviously as much as the Ukrainians. But now, in the back of … the wartime leadership he has shown, I definitely think he may have popular support there for a very long time.”
“More responsible than brave”
Zelensky, for his part, tried to downplay his courageous stance towards Russia, says FT that he was “more responsible than brave” and just didn’t wish to “let people down”.
Nevertheless, because the starting of the war, Zelensky has been a visual, physically present leader in Ukraine, visiting the front lines and war-torn cities. Famously rejected the US offer to evacuate him and his family from Kiev, and the Ukrainian embassy in the UK tweeted that he replied that he needed ammunition, not export from the country.
It was widely believed that Moscow thought it could occupy its pro-Western neighbor without much opposition, and it had reason to imagine so – light sanctions were imposed on Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and global business with Russia went on as usual despite Russia’s support for separatists in Donbass in eastern Ukraine, where a low-level conflict has been happening because the annexation.
Thus, the seeds of the present war had already been planted before Zelensky took office, but Ukraine’s president seemed reluctant to imagine that his country might be dragged right into a war with a robust, nuclear-armed neighbor.
Even at the tip of January 2022. Zelensky downplayed the threat of an invasion despite the presence of greater than 100,000 Russian troops along the border with Ukraine, claiming there was no reason to “panic”. He wanted to take care of economic stability in the face of heightened fears in the West that Russia was preparing for an invasion.
Nevertheless, the US warned in January that there was a “clear possibility” that an invasion could happen in February – a prediction that got here true on February 24.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Zelensky enjoys high support amongst Ukrainians for summoning each the armed forces of the country and the society on a every day basis.
Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images
Now Ukraine is holding on and fighting Russian forces despite fatigue and deprivation attributable to months of war and bombing of areas of the country, especially eastern and southern Ukraine.
The country’s armed forces, armed with massive Western-supplied weapons, defied expectations by continuing to counterattack and defend their territory, recapturing much of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Zelensky needed to get used to the barrage of every day global diplomatic meetings and briefings, where he needed to beg for help, weapons and financial aid, and inform civilians in regards to the war every night and night.
He also needed to walk a diplomatic tightrope, knowing that Ukraine relies on the generosity of its friends – in the shape of billions of dollars price of weapons and tolerance for higher food and energy prices consequently of sanctions – to maintain fighting Russia. It was an ungainly path at times.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Kherson, Ukraine, November 14, 2022.
Press Office of the President of Ukraine | Reuters
There was media reportage in June that U.S. President Joe Biden lost patience with Zelensky with a report suggesting that Biden had barely finished telling his Ukrainian counterpart that he had just given the go-ahead for one more billion dollars in military aid when Zelensky began listing all the extra aid he needed and was get which prompted Biden to lift his voice and tell him he could show more gratitude.
Following the reported controversy, Zelensky issued a press release praising the American public for its generosity and commonly expressing gratitude to Ukraine’s allies for helping Kiev fight Russia.
Challenges beyond war
While the battle will not be over yet, Zelensky feels pressure on the house front that may should be addressed sooner or later, in keeping with Orysya Lutsevich, head and research fellow of the Ukraine, Russia and Eurasia Program Forum on the Chatham House think tank.
The fundamental three challenges facing the federal government concern the safety, economy and health of Ukraine’s democracy, Lucewicz he said in a recent Chatham House briefing.
For instance, on the safety front, Lukhevych noted that Ukrainians are very much demanding Ukraine’s NATO membership, but it is extremely unlikely that Ukraine will give you the option to hitch the military alliance for years – or ever – “so this can be a challenge for Zelensky … demand [NATO membership] and it’s hard” to deliver, she said.
Firefighters conduct a search and rescue operation after Russian forces attacked a cultural center in Chuhuovo, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, July 25, 2022.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
“Second, the economy, Ukraine is facing a serious economic collapse resulting from Russian aggression. Its economy could fall by as much as 40% this 12 months, and Ukraine relies heavily on Western aid and its own ability to gather taxes and fill the budget with needed funds, so the query is maintain that economic support. To be honest, help from the West was coming, nevertheless it wasn’t enough and it was quite slow.”
“Finally, relating to democracy, there may be a discussion in regards to the quality of the media space [in Ukraine] because under martial law there may be a certain censorship and confidentiality of information, especially related to a military operation,” she said.
Lutsevych added that some TV channels linked to former President Petro Poroshenko have been excluded from the umbrella news channel, raising questions as as to whether this was done deliberately to limit the influence of the political opposition on the national debate.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kherson, Ukraine, November 14, 2022. The three fundamental challenges facing the Ukrainian government relate to the safety, economy and health of Ukraine’s democracy, one analyst said.
Press Office of the President of Ukraine | Reuters
Despite such challenges, Lutsevych noted that, in general, Zelensky enjoys high rankings amongst Ukrainians for the every day rallying of each the country’s armed forces and society.
“Greater than 90% [of Ukrainians] approve of his performance, imagine that he has managed to rally quite a serious backlash against Russian aggression in Ukraine, but he has also mobilized Western support in this conflict, and that is something that Ukrainians highly value and imagine that his personal behavior – by staying in Kiev and without fleeing the country, he was capable of stabilize the country.”