Opinion / Carlota Rebelo
Seeking solidarity
When Volodymyr Zelensky won Ukraine’s presidential elections in April 2019, most international headlines ran with variations on “comedian wins presidency”. But the landslide victory was the manifestation of a profound desire for change. Upon the announcement of his election victory, Zelensky told an effusive room, “I will never let you down.” While support at home isn’t unanimous, his performance has come to sum up Ukraine’s determination on the world stage.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February and the subsequent war, Ukraine has been a relentless champion of itself. While men and women fight on the front lines, from Donetsk to Kherson, the soft-power offensive abroad has been a thing of wonder too. Wherever you go – from the World Economic Forum in Davos to the Web Summit in Lisbon – you’re sure to find a Ukrainian delegation asking the international community for funds, military assistance and, most of all, solidarity and support. Soft power, it seems, goes beyond messaging too: just last week Zelenskyy made a point of travelling to the dangerous front lines to mark Armed Forces Day with his country’s troops. It is this nation’s indomitable spirit that has granted it entry in our annual Soft Power Survey, which is out this week in the new December/January issue.
Nato’s secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg recently said that the conditions for peace in Ukraine “are not there now”. This is something that’s on the mind of every Ukrainian diplomat, not least the country’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, who I spoke to last month. “The moment for negotiations will come because every war ends with diplomacy,” he told me. As temperatures drop to sub-zero, and with millions going without electricity, water or heat, Ukraine faces a tough winter ahead. But if there’s one thing that this nation has shown the world, it’s resolve.
Carlota Rebelo is Monocle’s senior producer and presenter. You can read her profile of Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba in the December/January issue of Monocle or listen to their conversation on ‘The Big Interview’ on Monocle 24.