Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emerged as a hero to his nation’s citizens and far beyond as the former actor and comedian first elected in 2019 remains in his country at great personal risk during its bombardment by Russia.
Zelenskyy, who agreed on Sunday to talks at the Belarus border with Russia to end the military conflict, has been his country’s man in the capital city of Kyiv, where he has issued a series of videos urging Ukrainians to resist the invasion.
“I am here. We will not lay down any weapons. We will defend our state, because our weapons are our truth,” he said in one clip filmed outside his office in Kyiv.
“Our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children and we will protect all of this,” he added, according to a translation posted by Al-Jazeera.
“This is what I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine!”
Zelenskyy was previously perhaps best known in the United States for the role he played in the controversy surrounding former President Trump’s first impeachment, when he was pressured by the then-president and his allies to investigate now-President Joe Biden and his family for corruption.
In today’s existential crisis facing his country, Zelenskyy has won praise across the political spectrum in the United States for sticking at home and producing a series of videos urging Ukrainians to resist the Russian invasion.
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Sources who have spoken to people on the ground in Ukraine said there is a sense of surprise among many Ukrainians in terms of how Zelenskyy has met the moment. The political novice won election in grand style in 2019, but polls suggested he was getting mixed reviews from the public before the invasion.
By sticking in Ukraine, he has become a leader for all Ukrainians to rally around as civilians take up arms to slow the Russian advance. And the risk to his own life is something that has resonated. Zelenskyy has said that Russia has “marked” him as its top target, believing that by killing the leader, support for the resistance would disappear. He pointedly noted that his family was Russian target “No. 2.”
Zelenskyy’s decision to stay in Ukraine also stands in contrast to the U.S.-backed leader of Afghanistan, who fled Kabul in August as the Taliban took over the city and U.S. troops left.
When the Biden administration offered to get Zelenskyy securely out of the country, he refused, asking for ammunition instead.
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- Discussion
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Zelensky emerges as global hero in Ukraine battle against Russia https://t.co/HDKeMVtDg1 pic.twitter.com/JYZQa9Mr8W
— The Hill (@thehill) February 27, 2022
Childish.
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) February 26, 2022
Hilarious. Yesterday I called @RNCresearch childish. Now they blocked me. https://t.co/BnSUv35vl0 pic.twitter.com/cnB5ruhNjN
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) February 27, 2022
During his inaugural address in 2019, Zelensky told lawmakers: “I do not want my picture in your offices: the President is not an icon, an idol or a portrait. Hang your kids' photos instead, and look at them each time you are making a decision.” pic.twitter.com/fjsHudv7FV
— Benjamin Ramm (@BenjaminRamm) February 26, 2022
Interesting fellow. An actor and comedian who ran for the presidency as a novice and won. Trump tried to bully him and failed. He seems to be much tougher than he first appeared.
I don’t know about meeting with the Russians. This could be a trap leading to assassination.
He has refused to leave for a foreign country, choosing to stay and fight. But I hope his family is somewhere safe.
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