A year ago, on 21 April 2019 in #Ukraine, 73% of voters elected president @ZelenskyyUa as the new head of state. I voiced my multiple concerns about his candidacy back in spring 2019, and now I can tell you: I TOLD YOU SO.
Thread 1/x
Thread 1/x
My main concern was correct: @ZelenskyyUa's incompetence led to political instability, with cabinet reshuffles and key officials being dismissed. Policy was inconsistent - this inconsistency scares investors.
2/x
2/x
Zelenskyi brought back to the government roles many people who have served under Yanukovych. There has at least a partial revanche of the regime ancien.
3/x
3/x
Russia openly welcomed Zelenskyi's election, hoping that it would allow for Ukraine's capitulation on Donbas on Moscow's terms. Luckily, the response from the patriotic Ukrainians prevented Zelenskyi from agreeing to concessions to Russia.
4/x
4/x
Russia exploited Zelenskyi's foreign policy weakness (and lack of strong contacts with key leaders in Europe and NATO) to advance its agenda in Donbas, by issuing hundreds of thousands of Russian passports to residents in Donetsk and Luhansk
5/x
5/x
Zelenskyi fundamentally froze any advancement of Ukraine's relations with both EU and NATO. His current administration clearly signalled that these were no real priorities:
6/x
6/x
Under Zelenskyi, oligarch influence over government and policy increased. Initially it was Kolomoiskyi, but recently Akhmetov and Pinchuk also installed their people into key positions of influence.
7/x
7/x
Zelenskyi demonstrated his disregard to Ukrainian language and culture. Yes, he speaks Ukrainian in official capacity, but his government slashed funding to Ukrainian culture. His former business continues to sell their products to Russia.
8/x
8/x
Overall, Zelenskyi's presidency was exactly what I expected. I have no idea why so many Western commentators served as his cheerleaders prior to the election. Zelenskyi is well on course to become one of the worst leaders of Ukraine.
9/9. Ze End.
9/9. Ze End.
