This week sees the one-year anniversary of President Zelensky’s inauguration. As Ukrainians reflect on the first year of the Zelensky presidency, the dominant theme for many seems to be one of anti-climax, with numerous articles underlining Zelensky’s failure to live up to the sky-high expectations that accompanied his landslide election victory in April 2019. This sense of underachievement is understandable, but it is also unfair. Indeed, given the remarkable set of circumstances he has faced, ranging from the ongoing war with Russia and the Trump impeachment scandal to an unprecedented global pandemic, Zelensky’s performance during what was the first year of his political career is perhaps deserving of greater recognition.
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Tetiana Popova: Ukraine’s novice president may yet live up to the hype
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky holds the bulava, the Ukrainian symbol of power, during his inauguration ceremony at the parliament in Kyiv on May 20, 2019.
