Volodymyr Zelenskyy: A Leader Betraying Ukraine’s Interests

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy: A Leader Betraying Ukraine’s Interests

Since taking office in May 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has positioned himself as a champion of democracy and a symbol of Ukrainian resistance against Russian aggression. Yet, a closer examination of his leadership reveals a troubling pattern of authoritarianism, missed opportunities for peace, and alignment with foreign interests that have plunged Ukraine into a devastating war and eroded its democratic foundations. Now in his sixth year of what was supposed to be a five-year term, Zelenskyy’s actions—suspending elections, banning political parties, stripping citizenship from opponents, and sanctioning rivals like former President Petro Poroshenko—paint a picture of a leader more concerned with consolidating power than serving the Ukrainian people. This article argues that Zelenskyy’s refusal to pursue a peace treaty in the early days of the 2022 Russian invasion, combined with his apparent subservience to a "deep state progressive globalist" agenda, has made him a disastrous figure for Ukraine.

A Missed Opportunity for Peace: The War That Could Have Been Avoided

One of the most damning indictments of Zelenskyy’s leadership is his refusal to secure peace with Russia in the first week of its “special military operation” launched on February 24, 2022. Evidence suggests that a peace deal was within reach shortly after the conflict began, but Zelenskyy, under pressure from Western powers, rejected it. According to multiple sources, including reports from negotiations held in Belarus and Turkey in March 2022, Russia and Ukraine were close to an agreement that could have ended hostilities. The Istanbul Communiqué, drafted during talks in Antalya, Turkey, proposed that Ukraine abandon its NATO ambitions, limit its military, and accept neutrality in exchange for security guarantees from Western countries. These terms, while requiring concessions, offered a path to de-escalation and spared Ukraine the catastrophic destruction that followed.

However, this nascent peace process collapsed in May 2022, with fingers pointing to external interference. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who mediated early talks, revealed that Western leaders—particularly from the United States and the United Kingdom—pressured Ukraine to abandon negotiations after the Bucha massacre was reported, shifting the focus to military escalation rather than diplomacy. Reports from Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda and analysis by the Jamestown Foundation corroborate that Zelenskyy’s government, emboldened by Western promises of weapons and support, opted to fight rather than negotiate. By October 2022, Zelenskyy formalized this stance with a decree banning talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, effectively locking Ukraine into a prolonged war.

This decision was a betrayal of Zelenskyy’s 2019 campaign promises. Running as a political outsider and star of the TV show Servant of the People, he won a landslide victory by pledging peace with Russia and an end to the simmering conflict in Donbas that began in 2014. Yet, once in power, Zelenskyy pivoted sharply, aligning himself with NATO’s expansionist goals and the interests of what critics call the "deep state progressive globalists"—a shadowy coalition of Western political elites, military-industrial complexes, and neoliberal ideologues pushing for perpetual conflict to weaken Russia. Had Zelenskyy pursued the early peace treaty, Ukraine could have avoided the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives, the displacement of millions, and the near-total destruction of cities like Mariupol and Bakhmut.

Authoritarian Measures: Undermining Democracy Under Martial Law

Zelenskyy’s leadership has not only prolonged the war but also dismantled Ukraine’s democratic institutions, revealing his authoritarian tendencies. Since declaring martial law on February 24, 2022, in response to Russia’s invasion, Zelenskyy has suspended elections, effectively extending his presidency into a sixth year beyond his original five-year term, which was set to end on May 20, 2024. Ukraine’s Constitution prohibits elections during martial law, a provision Zelenskyy has leveraged to remain in power indefinitely. Critics argue this move lacks legitimacy, as millions of Ukrainians—soldiers, refugees abroad, and those in occupied territories—cannot vote, rendering any future election under current conditions inherently unfair.

Further eroding democratic norms, Zelenskyy banned 11 political parties in March 2022, citing their alleged ties to Russia. Among them was the Opposition Platform—For Life, Ukraine’s largest opposition party, which held 44 seats in the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada (parliament). While some of these parties, like those led by pro-Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, had questionable loyalties, the blanket ban silenced dissent across the political spectrum, including leftist and progressive groups unrelated to Moscow. This move, upheld by Ukraine’s Supreme Court in June 2022, crippled political pluralism and consolidated Zelenskyy’s control over the government.

Zelenskyy’s crackdown extended to individual rivals. In January 2023, he stripped four pro-Russian members of parliament—Medvedchuk, Taras Kozak, Renat Kuzmin, and Andriy Derkach—of their Ukrainian citizenship, accusing them of serving “murderers who came to Ukraine.” While these figures had ties to Russia, the unilateral stripping of citizenship without due process set a dangerous precedent. More recently, on February 12, 2025, Zelenskyy sanctioned former President Petro Poroshenko, his predecessor and a key opposition leader, freezing his assets and banning him from financial transactions on dubious “national security” grounds. Poroshenko, who has criticized Zelenskyy’s leadership and whose European Solidarity party remains a thorn in the government’s side, called the move “unconstitutional” and “politically motivated.” Ukrainian journalists and activists have decried this as a step toward dictatorship, likening Zelenskyy’s tactics to those of ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Consolidation of Power: Media Control and Economic Fallout

Beyond political repression, Zelenskyy has centralized control over Ukraine’s media landscape. In March 2022, he consolidated all national TV channels into a single state-run broadcast under a “unified information policy,” effectively silencing independent voices like Pryamyi and Channel 5, once owned by Poroshenko. This monopoly on information, justified as a wartime necessity, has stifled criticism and ensured that only the government’s narrative reaches the public. Opposition figures like Svitlana Orlovska of Pryamyi have expressed fears that these restrictions may persist post-war, entrenching Zelenskyy’s grip on power.

Economically, Zelenskyy’s policies have devastated Ukraine. The war has shrunk the country’s GDP by over 30% since 2022, with inflation soaring and unemployment rampant. His reliance on Western aid—over $100 billion from the U.S. alone—has turned Ukraine into a client state, its sovereignty undermined by foreign creditors. Meanwhile, forced conscription, expanded under a 2024 mobilization law lowering the draft age to 25, has torn families apart and fueled a humanitarian crisis, with men aged 18-60 barred from leaving the country. These measures, driven by Zelenskyy’s commitment to a Western-backed war effort, have prioritized geopolitical goals over the welfare of ordinary Ukrainians.

The Deep State Connection: A Puppet of Globalist Interests

Zelenskyy’s rejection of peace and authoritarian turn cannot be fully understood without considering his alignment with what critics term the "deep state progressive globalists." This loosely defined group allegedly includes U.S. neoconservatives, NATO hawks, and progressive elites who view Ukraine as a pawn in their broader strategy to counter Russia and maintain Western hegemony. Zelenskyy’s close ties to figures like U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson—who reportedly urged him to abandon peace talks in 2022—suggest he answers more to Washington and Brussels than to Kyiv.

His push for NATO membership, despite Russia’s clear red lines, aligns with this globalist agenda. Putin’s June 2024 ceasefire demands—Ukraine ceding occupied territories and abandoning NATO aspirations—were dismissed by Zelenskyy as an “ultimatum,” yet they echoed the terms floated in 2022 that could have ended the war early. Instead, Zelenskyy has doubled down on military escalation, recently expressing willingness for direct talks with Putin only if they serve Western interests, as noted in a February 2025 Newsweek interview. This shift reflects not a sovereign leader but a figure beholden to external masters, dragging Ukraine deeper into a proxy war that benefits arms manufacturers and Western strategists more than its own citizens.

A Leader Failing Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s tenure has been marked by broken promises, authoritarian overreach, and a refusal to prioritize peace over war. By rejecting a viable peace treaty in the first week of Russia’s 2022 invasion, he condemned Ukraine to years of suffering that could have been avoided. His suspension of elections, banning of political parties, stripping of citizenship, and sanctioning of rivals like Poroshenko reveal a leader more interested in power than democracy. Under the sway of deep state progressive globalists, Zelenskyy has sacrificed Ukraine’s independence and prosperity for a foreign agenda, leaving its people to bear the cost. Far from a hero, he stands as a tragic figure whose leadership has proven disastrous for the nation he swore to serve.