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Ukraine: thirteen hours in front of the press for President Zelensky!
On October 10, in Kiev, Ukrainian President Zelensky gave a press conference of more than thirteen hours. For several days, he has been facing revelations about his phone talks with Trump and is under pressure from his European allies to settle the Donbass conflict.
Since his election, Volodymyr Zelensky had never given a press conference. And for good reason, he built his rise on television and social networks, it is a politician still inexperienced, who is wary of journalists and who sometimes panic when it comes to answering difficult questions.
Therefore, instead of responding to the many requests for interviews, he decided to gather all the press, both Ukrainian and international, in one go. There was something unheard of in world political communication: hundreds of journalists parked in a street-food hipster hangar for a press conference, and by 10am, Zelensky seated, receiving journalists seven by seven, one or two questions for each one, half an hour maximum. In this way, Zelensky who is afraid of the media has been able to neutralize traditional journalism, and get rid of the classic form of individual interviews.
What can be taken from the president's statements ?
Ukrainian officials have remained quiet since the two-week telephone talks with Trump over suspicions of blackmail by the US president against his Ukrainian counterpart. Yesterday, almost half of the questions focused on this theme, but Volodymyr Zelensky remained very cautious and did not provide much information. He once again refuted any pressure from Donald Trump, a way to spare the American side, but he also recalled that Ukraine was an independent country, with no intention of interfering in the elections in Washington. .
In this case, the accusations relate to the White House, but the Ukrainian president seemed uncomfortable, as if he was perfectly aware that the actions of the Trump clan had put his country in a very uncomfortable situation.
To questions about Joe Biden's son , Zelensky often kicked in on the sidelines, simply asking the court to do his job if there had been malfeasance.
What about the record of the Donbass war ?
The current diplomatic drive aims to find a way out of the Donbass war, whereas a few days ago, Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to subscribe to the "Steinmeier Formula": a Franco-German scenario of a way out of the crisis, that many Ukrainians see as capitulation to Russia.
During this press conference, Zelensky distinguished himself from his predecessor, especially by focusing on humanitarian issues in this deadly conflict , he also reaffirmed that he was ready to meet his Russian counterpart in Paris, with Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, but that he would not defeat the interests of his country.
Finally, it must be emphasized that Volodymyr Zelensky spoke more than thirteen hours, the ballet of questions only ended at midnight, with a Zelensky on the brink of exhaustion. This falsely modern way of playing politics, talking to everyone but playing the many fishes, struck several journalists, some of whom felt trapped by a great deal of communication.