An interview with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky
The former comedian is clobbering oligarchs but ducking serious reform
“I STILL DON’T feel comfortable here,” says Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, as he walks briskly into an opulent presidential meeting room. A former comedian in a hit TV series, “Servant of the People”, that tells the story of a humble schoolteacher who accidentally becomes president, he is still, it seems, more used to a studio than a palace.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The comedian gets serious”
Europe June 5th 2021
- Germany’s Christian Democrats struggle against populists in the east
- A Christian, a Jew and a Muslim walk into the same house of worship...
- Europe’s vaccination campaign has gathered pace, though not everywhere
- A law to break the Mafia’s code of silence lets a killer go free
- An interview with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky
- The era of small-state privilege in Europe is coming to an end
More from Europe
Meet Europe’s Gaullists, Atlanticists, denialists and Putinists
As Donald Trump returns, so do Europe’s old schisms over how to defend itself
Inside Europe, border checks are creeping back
Voters and politicians are worried about unauthorised migrants
The EU is worried about sensitive exports to competitors and foes
A lot of bureaucracy will ensue
A day of drama in the Bundestag
Friedrich Merz, Germany’s probable next chancellor, takes a huge bet and triggers uproar
Amid talk of a ceasefire, Ukraine’s front line is crumbling
An ominous defeat in the eastern town of Velyka Novosilka
The French government’s survival is now in Socialist hands
Moderates attempt to move away from the radicals