Politoblog

Olga Rybak and Greta Scott interview Régis Genté, biographer of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In conversation with Régis Genté  Greta Scott: I remember when Zelenskyy was elected, it seemed like a joke: a comedian becoming the President of Ukraine. But since the war started, he has become well-respected and admired across the globe. Is that reception merited? Régis Genté: Yes, it's certainly merited because of what he has done since the 24th of February. (I don't say the 23rd, because on the 23rd he still didn’t fully trust the intelligence which was given to him about the war. There is a French documentary film about President Macron and the war, and in this film, we see Macron calling Zelenskyy at midnight on the 23rd, so basically six hours before the war, and we can see that it was still not clear to Zelenskyy that the war would happen. Maybe it had no consequences because the Ukrainian military was ready for the war anyway, but still, he didn't get it.) But