Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has reversed his domestic political situation with his leadership in recent weeks, winning the support of the vast majority of the country in the face of a Russian invasion.
Zelensky, an artist who has become a politician, sees his ratings of approval steadily declining since his election in 2019, continuing a series of dissatisfaction with Ukraine’s leadership on issues such as corruption.
But his rule of law and exciting calls to defend Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression have impressed even those who were skeptical of his leadership just weeks ago, and his approval rating has risen to more than 90 percent, according to a recent poll.
“I would give him C last year. I think he was a mediocre president in peace, and he is a great president at war, “said Melinda Haring, who previously edited the UkraineAlert blog at the Atlantic Council, where she is now deputy director of the Eurasia Center.
“He really turned things around,” Harring said. “I am just surprised. I’m surprised by his physical courage, I’m impressed by his stiff upper lip. “
Prior to running for office, Zelensky was best known in Ukraine as an actor and comedian who appeared in movies and reality television. His populist campaign garnered considerable support, and he won the election with about 73 percent of the vote, easily defeating then-President Petro Poroshenko.
Prior to the invasion, Zelensky was probably best known among Americans for being at the center of former President Trump.
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In recent days, videos have been circulating in which Zelensky competes in the Ukrainian version of Dancing With the Stars in 2006 and portrays the Paddington bear in the Ukrainian version of the 2014 Paddington film.
These carefree moments were a startling juxtaposition with images of the weary but determined Zelensky, who broadcast video messages from the city of Kyiv, promising to stay and fight for his people.
The Ukrainian embassy in Britain said on Twitter over the weekend that Zelensky had rejected a US proposal to evacuate him, saying he needed “ammunition, not transport”.
“I’m here. We’re not putting down weapons,” Zelensky said in a video released over the weekend to dispel the rumors he evacuated. “We will defend our country because our weapon is the truth, and our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children, and we will defend all this. That’s it. That’s all I wanted to tell you. Glory of Ukraine. “
But Zelensky’s fascination and admiration overshadowed the stone foundation he was on only a few months ago, with his administration facing questions of corruption, strife and an uncertain approach to the prospect of Russian aggression.
When Zelensky gave a press conference in November as Russia rallied around Ukraine, journalists and activists in the country expressed disappointment that the president was not reacting more strongly and instead began fighting the press, according to UkraineWorld, an English-language update service for Ukraine.
Alexei Haran, a scientist at the Kiev-Mohyla Academy, wrote at the time that he expected Zelenksi to be “more decisive” in his message to the Ukrainian people about the threat of a Russian attack.
Sergei Sidorenko, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian edition of European Justice, wrote after the press conference that Zelensky was facing a sharp decline in his popularity and the disintegration of Ukraine “is growing again and this is sad.”
And Andrew Losen, a fellow at the Center for Strategic International Studies’s Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program, said Zelensky’s trajectory has been steadily declining since his election, like his predecessors, to about 33 percent just a few weeks ago.
But the Russian invasion and Zelensky’s reaction to it led to an unmistakable unifying moment for the president and his country. A poll conducted last weekend, which interviewed 2,000 Ukrainians, found that 91 percent of respondents supported Zelensky’s actions.
“These images of him radiating from the presidential administration when there are reports of a reward for his head or that he is the number one enemy, I mean, it’s real courage,” Losen said. “So, absolutely, he has really become respected as the leader of the country and he still has the faith of the vast majority of his citizens right now.”
In a Washington Post guest column published earlier this week, Anna Mironyuk, a Kyiv Independent journalist, wrote about her early concerns about Zelensky and her uncertainty that he could handle the challenge once elected. .
She did not vote for Zelenski in 2019 and expressed concern about his approach to corruption and his sensitivity to media criticism. But his handling of the conflict with Russia was a bright spot for Mironyuk and others who saw Zelensky fight Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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“The actor, who became president, stumbled and at first did not live up to my expectations, but now he has shown that he is not afraid of the greatest responsibility for any national leader: the protection of their people,” Mironyuk wrote.