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. First, he got tangled up in the impeachment of Donald Trump. Prior to the invasion of Ukraine, there were doubts over whether the 44-year-old had the political nous to lead the country during an existential crisis. The roots of Russia's invasion of Ukraine go back decades and run deep. Putin fared the worst of any head of state included in the survey, with only 6% of U.S. adults expressing confidence in him following his decision to invade Ukraine. Early in his tenure, Mr. Zelensky commanded more power than any of his predecessors had. And his party - get this - is called Servant of the People. Today, though, as of last week, a poll shows that 30% only support this president. ESTRIN: Yeah. The survey also took Americans' temperatures on other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This is a striking turnaround for a leader who was previously seen as inexperienced and ineffective. Has it contributed to the conflict in any way? 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. And he falls, I think, in the second category, but its not such a long list, and its certainly not that not long in Eastern Europe, he said. 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. According to Transparency International, Ukraine remains the third-most-corrupt country in Europe, after Russia and Azerbaijan. 2000 - Graduated from Kyiv National Economic University, with a law degree. 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. Throughout 2020 his approval rating steadily fell. We are here. But now, when Ukraine is menaced by Russia, it may be affecting Mr. Zelenskys judgment. This story originally appeared in the Morning Edition live blog. How can I be a Nazi? Zelensky said Thursday, without specifically mentioning his Jewishness. : Comedians, Contrarians, Raconteurs & Vulgarians and host of . Thanks to an unprecedented effort from the International Republican Institute to conduct a nationwide poll of Ukraine during a time of war, we now know what its people think about the conflict, their leadership and the future of their country. 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. 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. That's been happening in Ukraine for years. We are here. ESTRIN: And he rises to stardom in this show, and he's elected to president because, you know, everyone sees this video. We are in Kyiv. The front door is - I don't know - 20, 25 feet from this ice skating rink, which is now filling up with kids. The skating rink admittedly is a little harder to storm. ESTRIN: He's a comedian, and he's a TV star. Do the public support the nurses strike? Response to Allison and Blackwill, Portugal faces an impossible task, expect a second bailout, Malaysias looming general election: what it means for the economy, Omans future: What goes up must come down, Margaret Thatchers prophetic prediction of the Euros sorry state. . By submitting the above I agree to the privacy policy and terms of use of JTA.org. Zelensky won the election in a landslide. If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again. 1 target, he said in a video message, and his family is the No. Why did people vote for him so overwhelmingly? His supporters thought that he would break away from the old ways and end corruption. Now, he is at the center of the continents most significant conflict since World War II, framing himself as a possible martyr on the world stage. Snow is pelting down. Volodymyr Zelensky was born January 25, 1978 in Kryvyi Rih, a city in eastern Ukraine. Zelenskys ambitions appear to be colliding with his populist rhetoric, while his willingness to succumb to pressure from oligarchs is gradually losing him the trust of Ukrainians and the West. By Charlie Smith 05:51, Fri, May 13 . Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact He's young - 44 years old - Ukraine's first Jewish president. His opponents said he was so inexperienced, he was bound to be a disaster. In the run up to the 2024 Ukrainian presidential election, various organisations carried out opinion polling to gauge voting intention in Ukraine. So Volodymyr Zelensky told the White House in late February, as it offered to evacuate him from a country under siege by Russia. Since the war began, he has been appealing to world leaders for more support for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia. He won the Ukrainian equivalent of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2006. National parties did not enjoy as much support in 2020 Servant of the Peoples poor results were followed by similar ones for opposition parties. Russia, of course, has been waging a war in eastern Ukraine since 2014. Subscribe for the best of our politics, international affairs, culture and business coverage, straight to your inbox. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Furthermore, although he did not achieve a breakthrough in negotiations with Russia during the 2019 Normandy Summit, President Zelensky succeeded in securing a large prisoner exchange with the Kremlin, as well as another ceasefire agreement. His government was pursuing a political rival on treason . And then weve had political figures who happen to be Jewish, but dont hide that fact. All Rights Reserved. Around 7 in 10 Americans (72%) have a lot or some confidence in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, higher than any other international leader recorded, a new Pew Research survey found. A Jew and a native Russian speaker, Volodymyr Oleksandrovich Zelensky was born on January 25th, 1978. Zelensky struggled as president, facing intense criticism, making major gaffes, and watching his approval ratings plummet. The man now seen as the face of resistance to Russian military aggression voiced the Peruvian bear in the . The circle around the president has become an echo chamber. Only 28.2% of Ukrainians approve of President Volodymyr Zelensky's performance, . 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 has quickly become one of the most consequential and prominent Jewish world leaders in recent decades. Sixty-two percent of Ukrainians dont want him to run for re-election, and if an election were held today, hed garner about 25 percent of the vote down from the 30 percent he easily won in the first round of the 2019 election. Now, on this question of Zelenskyy and how he's leading the country, I want to bring in one of my colleagues who is also here in Kyiv reporting, Daniel Estrin. Why? KELLY: She tells me that when he became president in 2019, that is when the skating rink was built. Before running for president, Zelensky was a comedian. His new ministers are also rumored to have ties with former Ukrainian President Yanukovych, whose decision to suspend implementation of the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU led to the 2013-2014 Euromaidan revolution, and Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of the pro-Russian Opposition Platform-for Life (OPFL). Yet Mr. Zelenskys behavior, odd to the point of erratic, obscures a truth: He has no good options. his domestic approval rating was 31%, an anemic figure but by . Since the war began, he has been appealing to world leaders for more support for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia. You only have access to basic statistics. Illustration by Joo Fazenda. Zelensky's approval ratings are continuing to rise. his pre-World War II stints as French prime minister. 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. I mean, it's like his popularity ratings went off the cliff. Of note: Putin not only has the lowest recorded rating on the survey, he has "an all-time low in surveys going back nearly two decades," per Pew. Afiq Fitri is a data journalist at New Statesman Media Group. He has. 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%). The results of such polls are displayed in this article. We are defending Ukraine, Zelensky said. UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: If the person was born to be a politician, yeah, it's OK. The question of loyalty, she said, gets asked of leaders who are assigned or marked as belonging to a group that is somehow not quite the center of whatever the country is.. The approval ratings of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has fallen down amid conflict with Russia. Read more here about the study's findings and methodology. President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the members . A noteworthy feature of the elections was Ukraines well-functioning democracy, as local incumbents secured their posts and only a few won their mandates without run-offs. Despite early signs of progress, the newly elected President delivered no real reforms, and failed to handle relations with local leaders amid the global coronavirus pandemic. By Afiq Fitri The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky visits the front-line positions of the Ukrainian military in Donbas, Ukraine on 6 December 2021. Copyright 2022 NPR. After winning the election as a political novice with 73% of the vote, Mr. Zelenskys public approval rating had fallen to only 25% last October. Who should I appoint for roles like the head of the Ukrainian FBI? Here are some tips. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. 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. [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]. 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. "Full support and respect . hide caption. 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? He had a very long day today talking with foreign embassies about this whole situation, and he says, listen. February 28, 2022 / 2:06 PM / CBS News. Since then, Zelensky has regularly taken to Twitter to address Ukrainians and the rest of the world, reminding everyone of what is at stake through videos and fiery tweets. Volodymyr Zelenskyy was seen by many as a comic actor who stumbled into the presidency. . By Alexander Query. 'I promise, I will never let you down' Americans are more. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has turned around his domestic political fortunes with his leadership over the past few weeks, earning the support of an overwhelming majority of the country . Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses for selfies with voters. Now it is 91 per cent. KELLY: He's good, she tells me, but she doesn't sound thrilled. This might be the last time you see me alive, he reportedly told European Union leaders on a call about steps the bloc was considering to try to stop Russias advances throughout Ukraine. A weekly round-up of some of the best articles featured in the most recent issue of the New Statesman, sent each Saturday. statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account. The show must go on, of course. By the time Zelensky joined the Servant of the People series in 2015, he was one of Ukraines most famous pop culture figures. But the presidents performance strained, awkward, often inappropriate is hardly helping. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. It reappears every winter. Joe Biden approval: Volodymyr Zelensky is currently the world's most iconic leader . His fathers father, Semyon, served in the Soviet Red Army during World War II; Semyons father and brothers were all murdered in the Holocaust. Sign up for JTAs Around the World newsletter. He became the president of Ukraine on May 20th, 2019. But this understandable effort to project calm and steady skittish markets was undermined by his showy style. I clomp over to the rink - kids, parents spinning, circling, wiping out. our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. The Comedian-Turned-President Is Seriously in Over His Head, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/21/opinion/ukraine-russia-zelensky-putin.html. Pew notes that this is a downturn since the start of his term, when that number was closer to 6 in 10 American adults. Ukraine president's ratings fall as crisis with Russia brews. First, President Volodymyr Zelensky commands a 94% approval rating. 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? Some 72% of Americans have either some or a lot of confidence in Zelenskyy to do the right thing regarding international affairs, according to the Pew Research Center a much higher number than for other world leaders, including U.S. President Biden. 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. Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. An interpreter translating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech broke down on the air. Yet the truth is more prosaic. This fear from local Jews has persisted into the early days of the Russian invasion. And 70% of the vote - those are not numbers to sniff at. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his iconic green T-shirt have become recognizable figures on the world stage in the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine. He is visibly irritated by traditional journalists: In. Facebook: quarterly number of MAU (monthly active users) worldwide 2008-2022, Quarterly smartphone market share worldwide by vendor 2009-2022, Number of apps available in leading app stores Q3 2022, Profit from additional features with an Employee Account. In 2019, several Ukrainian Jews told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that they were proud to see their country after its history of anti-Jewish pogroms and Soviet-era persecution elect a Jewish president. 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. But once. And in the show, this video goes viral. The poll found 24 percent of <30 adults saying they don't know about Zelensky vs. 9 percent of seniors; still, 23 percent of those under 30 rated Zelensky unfavorably vs. 9 percent of seniors.. 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. He appointed Andriy Yermak as head of the Presidential Administration, who has alleged connections to Russia. 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. He gets more than 70% of the vote. 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. 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 . His government opened up the farmland market and expanded digital services across the country. In a tone-deaf address in January, for example, a patronizing Mr. Zelensky effectively mocked Ukrainians for their proneness to panic and laughed off a possible invasion. Business Solutions including all features. UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: When he was becoming president, he said, I will stop the war. He was perhaps best known for his role as Vasily Petrovich Goloborodko in the Ukrainian television show Servant of the People . The biggest risk for Ukraine and the biggest risk for the sovereignty of our state is destabilization within our state, Zelensky said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's strategy for dealing with . Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the U.S. Congress on March 16. who seek to honor former Nazi collaborationists, through statues, marches and other tributes. Boris Johnson was a close second on 90%, while US. We've been told that because of the location, this is a place where Zelenskyy supporters like to come skate. Within that group, 33% have the highest level of confidence in Zelenskyy's leadership abilities. The approval ratings of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has fallen down amid conflict with Russia. A highlights reel of a 28-year-old Zelensky twisting and dipping in a series of outlandish outfits, including a pink . So KELLY: I ask his thoughts about Zelenskyy, and Max says he likes him. The biggest controversy, however, was his firing of prosecutor general Ruslan Ryaboshapka, favoured by Western countries because of his anti-corruption efforts and drive for reform. Accuracy and availability may vary. In the middle is Ukraine, led by former stand-up comedian and actor Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Corruption just doesnt seem to worry Mr. Zelensky much at least when those implicated are close to him. Older Americans are much more likely to hold those views than younger generations, as are those with more education (especially postgraduate degrees).

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