A former actor used to the sound of applause, Mr. Zelensky is notoriously thin-skinned when it comes to criticism and challenging questions. First, President Volodymyr Zelensky commands a 94% approval rating. Distribution and use of this material are governed by Positioning himself as the antithesis of Poroshenko, Zelensky ran in the presidential election as a populist politician who defends the interests of the people against the ruling class. Ukraine's leadership is not surrendering. who have a 91 per cent approval rating for Zelensky - want to be "liberated" by Russia. UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: When he was becoming president, he said, I will stop the war. What does all this mean for his ability to handle this crisis now in full swing with Russia? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the U.S. Congress on March 16. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his advisers have been arguing in recent days that they don't want to cede any territory to Russia in the . International Republican Institute. 1 target,, Over the course of a few years, Zelensky who is the first-ever Jewish president of, Ukraine, a country with a long and complicated Jewish history. At the most consequential hour in Europe since the collapse of the Soviet Union, as a vengeful and erratic autocrat invades Ukraine alluding darkly to . His family is Jewish and, like many Ukrainian Jews, was scarred by the Holocaust. Mr. Zelensky, stung by the fallout, came to largely rely on the loyal rather than the qualified. The party has struggled to identify its core ideology, with notions of libertarianism and centrism put forth. Climate Change, Hurricanes and US Security, Opinion: Churn in No. Pew found Zelensky most popular among older peoplewith an 86% confidence rate among people age 65 and older, compared to 63% among people age 18-29and more educated peoplewith an 82%. In the process, Mr. Zelensky has turned into a version of the politician he campaigned against: insular, closed off, surrounded by yes men. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact There were constant reshuffles. VASYLCHUK: In my childhood in St. Petersburg. In 2019, a TV star rails against corruption, runs for president, and he wins. It may have proven too difficult to pull off after winning the 2019 election with over 70% of the vote, his approval rating had plummeted to close to 30%. volodymyr zelensky; vladimir putin; More + Comments Leave a Comment. Afiq Fitri is a data journalist at New Statesman Media Group. So that has led to our showing up at this ice skating rink. He appointed the head of his own television production studio to be the head of the Ukrainian version of the FBI. I buckle up and prepare to skate, something I have not done in quite a while. Furthermore, questions about his Jewishness have exploded into the international consciousness: Has his Jewish background put him or his fellow Ukrainian Jews in more danger? But from showbiz, it's hard. Cooperation rather than competition between local actors and the central government, an end to the war in Donbass, as well as land, infrastructure and anti-corruption reforms are sorely needed for the future prosperity of Ukraine. India Dot Com Private Limited. His approval rating is in the low 40s. . People who think the country is . Zelensky has not elaborated on the details of his Jewish upbringing, or his religiosity, but he also hasnt shied away from expressing an occasional message of Jewish pride and a strong sense of solidarity with Israel. KELLY: He's good, she tells me, but she doesn't sound thrilled. but ultimately became a successful comedian, joining a popular comedy group that performed across the former Soviet Union. He survived World War II contributing to the victory over Nazism and hateful ideology. He later batted down an evacuation offer from the United States. Initial indications of progress were overshadowed by Zelenskys decision to replace the reformist ministerial cabinet and other critical state officials with controversial figures in March 2020. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. ", International Republican Institute, Do you approve or disapprove of the actions of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky? But many were also worried that if he failed to follow through on the many ambitious promises that boosted him to a sweeping electoral victory reforming a corrupt political system, standing up to Russia, restoring general confidence in government that angry citizens could blame his Jewishness. His recent failure to gain the support of local districts further exhibits Zelensky and his partys decline and their inability to deliver meaningful political change in Ukraine. Amid the crisis with Russia, some Ukrainians say their president has come up short. More than 90 per cent of Ukrainians approve of their leader, compared with just 31 per cent before the Russian invasion. And when the reviews are bad, he stops listening and surrounds himself with fans. And so that's the TV show, and then it happens in real life. 33% of the 72% expressed a lot of confidence in Zelensky. There are currently nearly 250,000 people in Ukraine's armed forces, which are vastly outnumbered and outgunned by Russia's. The Servant of the People party, which won a majority in the parliamentary elections in 2019, as well as President Zelensky, initially exhibited signs of real commitment to their reformist platforms. Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected President of Ukraine on April 21, 2019. 2000 - Graduated from Kyiv National Economic University, with a law degree. KELLY: She tells me that when he became president in 2019, that is when the skating rink was built. An interpreter translating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech broke down on the air. The latest. The partys rating has fallen to 28 percent, while 56 percent of the Ukrainian public is dissatisfied with Zelensky, although both still have higher ratings than the opposition. During the Russian war on Ukraine, however, the 44-year-old has matured into a respected statesman. KELLY: Yeah, but that's a really steep drop. And yet, he says, everyone realizes that Russia wants to take advantage of Zelenskyy's lower approval ratings right now to weaken him with this threat of an invasion. 9. So we're going to see if we can find some. . hide caption. ESTRIN: When he was running for president, he said he would fight nepotism. She has worked on a diverse set of topics from the prevention of religion-motivated violence in Bangladesh, during the 64th International Student Conference in Tokyo, Japan to bilateral and multilateral relations in South-Eastern Europe during her internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria. Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska at a polling station on election day in Kyiv, May 21, 2019. According to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Zelensky's approval rating as president dropped from 33.3 percent in September to 24.7 percent in October, separated from Poroshenko's approval rating by fewer than ten percentage points. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1100076/volodymyr-zelensky-s-approval-rating-ukraine/. Zelensky's current level of support is higher than it's ever been since Ratings Sociological Group started polling Ukrainians about the president in May of 2019. Along the way, he married a high school classmate, with whom he has two children, a 17-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son. Why did people vote for him so overwhelmingly? In June 2022, over 90 percent of the Ukrainian population approved of the activities of Volodymyr Zelensky as the president of the country. Americans are more divided over Biden's handling of international affairs, with 48% saying they have confidence in this area and 52% having either not too much or none at all. After his nearly three years in office, its clear what the problem is: Mr. Zelenskys tendency to treat everything like a show. March 17, 2022. The man now seen as the face of resistance to Russian military aggression voiced the Peruvian bear in the . KELLY: Max does not think there will be a war with Russia. But Ukrainians have little confidence that Zelenskyy can ensure that stability. Anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies are either stalling or run by loyalists appointed by the president. and whose brief term post-war was seen as a step forward for Frances coming to terms with its Nazi collaborationism. ", (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE"). The Ukrainians surprised us all. So did Leon Blum, who faced antisemitic animus in his pre-World War II stints as French prime minister, and whose brief term post-war was seen as a step forward for Frances coming to terms with its Nazi collaborationism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses for selfies with voters. Not only did the President lose the popularity test to local strongmen, but he also failed to handle tensions between the central government and local government officials. He was perhaps best known for his role as Vasily Petrovich Goloborodko in the Ukrainian television show Servant of the People . Now, he is at. Zelinsky initially made his name in Ukraine as a comic actor portraying on television a teacher who inadvertently becomes president after railing against corruption. (August 11, 2022). Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy; born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former comedian and actor who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019.. Born to a Ukrainian Jewish family, Zelenskyy grew up as a native Russian speaker in Kryvyi Rih, a major city of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in central Ukraine. The United States War Against Russian Disinformation: Is the GEC Fit for Purpose? The party's rating has fallen to 28 percent, while 56 percent of the Ukrainian public is dissatisfied with Zelensky, although both still have higher ratings than the opposition. Snow is pelting down. He even had this campaign video where he asked people for ideas. The front door is - I don't know - 20, 25 feet from this ice skating rink, which is now filling up with kids. [1] In May 2021, Zelenskyy stated that it was too early to say whether he will run for a second term, but this decision would depend on the attitude to him in society and would be influenced by his family.[1]. (Sergei Chuzavkov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images), This fear from local Jews has persisted into the early days of the Russian invasion. On Friday, he was equally blunt about his situation as Russian troops attacked the capital Kyiv: the the enemy has identified me as the No. On the one hand, any concession to Russia, particularly over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, would likely bring hundreds of thousands of people to the streets threatening him with the fate of Viktor Yanukovych, the president overthrown by a revolution in 2014. As Servant of the Peoples majority erodes in the Verkhovnaya Rada and there is a possibility that the opposition will call for new parliamentary elections, Zelenskys position as Ukraines powerbroker will continue to be challenged. The reforms give local leaders the power to handle budgets, investment and taxes more freely and are seen as one of the most successful democratic outcomes of the Euromaidan revolution. The newly formed government, meanwhile, restored anti-corruption institutions. But Ukrainians have little confidence that Zelenskyy can ensure that stability. JTA Four years ago, Volodymyr Zelensky was an actor on the humorous Ukrainian TV show "Servant of the People," starring as an unlikely president of the Eastern European country. But this understandable effort to project calm and steady skittish markets was undermined by his showy style. More than half of Americans have confidence in Macron and Scholz, while ratings for the Chinese leader remain unchanged from the past year at 15%. And now hes facing the prospect of a full-scale invasion by Russia. There are faint divides along partisan lines, with Democrats and Democrat-leaners slightly more likely than Republicans and Republican-leaners to have confidence in Zelenskyy (80% vs. 67%). So he says right now, a lot of critics of Zelenskyy are saying with Russian troops at the borders, it's not the right time to call for Zelenskyy to resign. VASYLCHUK: I'm Ukrainian, but (unintelligible) the entire country USSR - former USSR now. Its not just the media Mr. Zelensky struggles to work with. When Zelensky fails, they will think of him as the Jew and take revenge against the Jews, said Yevgeniy Romenovich, a Kyiv resident, said at the time. A former actor used to the sound of applause, Mr. Zelensky is notoriously thin-skinned when it comes to criticism and challenging questions. In a letter to the United Nations last weekend, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. wrote that intelligence suggests Russia could target religious and ethnic minorities, along with anti-Putin activists and other groups, in the aftermath of an invasion. National parties did not enjoy as much support in 2020 Servant of the Peoples poor results were followed by similar ones for opposition parties. Some 92% of Americans have little or no confidence in the Russian leader's handling of world affairs, while 77% have none at all. KELLY: He's the one you have. Three-quarters of Democrats and Democrat-leaners say they have confidence in Biden's international abilities, compared to just 16% of Republicans and Republican-leaners. Assuming things continue, well be able to look with pride on a leader who identifies as a Jew and who has been able to articulate a kind of moral stance, and in the face of aggression, and who certainly never hid the fact that he was Jewish but instead takes pride in it, he added. The claim: '15-minute city' planned in Ottawa will confine residents. But despite such dwindling numbers, he remains the most popular Ukrainian politician with support across Ukraine and a strong chance of re-election. (Ukrainian presidential press) Before Russia invaded his country, Volodymyr Zelensky had an approval rating within Ukraine of around 32 per cent. Today, though, as of last week, a poll shows that 30% only support this president. He had a very long day today talking with foreign embassies about this whole situation, and he says, listen. Within that group, 33% have the highest level of confidence in Zelenskyy's leadership abilities. January 25, 1978 - Born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. Boryana Saragerova received a MA in Terrorism, Security & Society from Kings College London. We know he was on that other phone call, the famous one from 2019 with another American president, the former President Trump - the one where Trump asked, I would like you to do us a favor, though. But now the threat is total: Up to 190,000 Russian troops have amassed near Ukraines borders and in separatist regions, and an invasion, bringing devastation and disaster, could come at any time. businessman. Despite his campaign promises, no progress has been made in fighting corruption. Russian President Vladimir Putin received dismal ratings, with only 6% of adults expressing confidence in him after Russia's latest invasion of Ukraine. Notably, Zelenskyy's domestic approval rating had dropped in the leadup to Russia's invasion, but a poll from inside Ukraine shows it has risen sharply in recent weeks. I point to the building next to us and ask her, what does she think of the president? Yes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Did Voice Paddington, StudioCanal Confirms. And then weve had political figures who happen to be Jewish, but dont hide that fact. Ms. Rudenko is a Ukrainian journalist and the chief editor of The Kyiv Independent. Many experts thought Kyiv would fall in 24 hours but four days later the battle continues.. Updated Feb. 4 at 10:37 am. As the West pursued megaphone diplomacy to discourage an invasion, Mr. Zelensky tried to downplay the threat. Zelensky declined to debate Poroshenko until two days before the second round of polling would begin, and that meeting had all the trappings of a sporting event. 77% of those surveyed said to have no confidence at all in Putin. Mr. Zelenskys other major project, a campaign he calls deoligarchization thats aimed at capping the influence of the very wealthy, looks more like a P.R. And there are reports that dozens of others in government have connections to his TV company or his family. [Graph], International Republican Institute, August 11, 2022. I understand. Overall, 91% of respondents approve of. Jonathan Sarna, a professor at Brandeis University and one of the foremost historians on Jewish history, said that whatever the outcome, Zelensky could end up in a pretty singular place in the history books. President Volodymyr Zelenskys ambitions of achieving radical change in Ukraine seem to be overshadowed by his attempt to balance different interest groups in the country, in the face of socioeconomic uncertainty and a distrustful nation. The comic-turned-president surely never imagined the job would be quite so intense. .css-16c7pto-SnippetSignInLink{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;}Sign In, Copyright 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved, adidas Promo Code - $30 Off 1000s of Best-Sellers + Free Shipping. DNIPRO, Ukraine When Volodymyr Zelensky, the Jewish comedian recently elected the president of Ukraine, announced that he was running, the chief rabbi for the eastern Ukrainian region where Mr . This fear from local Jews has persisted into the early days of the Russian invasion. Forty years later, his grandson became president. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, center, surely never imagined the job would get quite so intense. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Therefore, the 2020 local elections were a chance not only for Servant of the People to expand its political influence, but also for Zelensky to handle future local disobedience. Zelensky, an entertainer-turned-politician, saw his approval ratings steadily decline since his election in 2019, continuing a string of displeasure with leadership within Ukraine over issues like . March 5, 2022. He started brightly. By the numbers: Zelensky has a 72% positive confidence rating, with Americans voicing "some or a lot" of confidence in the Ukrainian President. But the successes largely stopped there. How President Zelensky's approval ratings have surged More than 90 per cent of Ukrainians approve of their leader, compared with just 31 per cent before the Russian invasion. Subscribe for the best of our politics, international affairs, culture and business coverage, straight to your inbox. Since the war began, he has been appealing to world leaders for more support for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Belgian mother slits throats of her five children and 16 years later chooses to die by euthanasia, Intelligence chiefs from 25 countries met in India this week, American woman arrested for self-administering abortion pills. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. And yet, he says, everyone realizes that Russia wants to take advantage of Zelenskyy's lower approval ratings right now to weaken him with this threat of an invasion. According to a poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, only 30 per centof the countrys people want Zelenskyy to run for a second term and even fewer,23per cent, would vote for him.