KYIV – On October 10, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy set a new world record for the longest press conference ever given by a head of state – 14 hours – in a free-ranging live exchange with some 300 journalists rotating in turn to take on the Ukrainian leader.
The novel interaction with the news media in a Kyiv food court provided many insights into Mr. Zelenskyy’s thinking and plans concerning both domestic and foreign affairs. But observers said it also raised almost as many questions as the president answered.
Was this a professional showman employing a new communication gimmick, or was this a novice politician suddenly finding himself in trouble and trying to extricate himself from it? Was this a display of self-confidence and openness, or a defensive over-reaction to mounting criticism about the lack of proper contact with the news media and, in light of a wave of protests connected with perceptions of his approach to seeking peace, failure to get his messages across?
Now that the dust has settled somewhat and all sides have had their say, it is time to recall some of the less obvious but nevertheless significant takeaways and implications from this remarkable event, which was declared a world record by the National Record Agency of Ukraine.
But first, the context. President Zelenskyy won his resounding victories in this year’s elections by promising a break with old discredited practices, openness and reform, and intensification of efforts to end the war with Russia and bring peace. Inevitably, given the internal and external challenges Ukraine is facing, the problems have piled up and the new president’s handling of them needed to be explained effectively to the Ukrainian public.
As RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service has pointed out, after becoming president, Mr. Zelenskyy for some reason failed to hold a single proper press conference. Instead, he relied on recording video clips and giving an “interview” to one of his colleagues, Stanislav Boklan, who had played the prime minister in the satirical TV series “Servant of the People” that had brought both of them fame.
Andriy Bohdan, head of the Presidential Office, told journalists at the beginning of August that Mr. Zelenskyy’s team doesn’t need journalists to communicate with society, because they can do it directly. “As our election campaign has proved, we communicate with society without mediators, without journalists,” he explained. Indeed, the Zelenskyy administration had relied on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram channels and video clips. The president’s spokesperson, Iuliia Mendel, seen on TV physically preventing journalists from approaching her boss and Mr. Bohdan, also caused damage.
Even when announcing at a hastily convened press briefing on October 1 that Kyiv had agreed to accept the controversial Steinmeier formula in order not to allow Moscow to scupper the planned new summit of the Normandy Four leaders (Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia), Mr. Zelenskyy seemed anxious to get the meeting with the press over with as soon as possible. Surprisingly, he told the journalists that he was in a hurry because he is a father and his children were waiting at home for him.
But the response to the acceptance of the Steinmeier formula – a wave of street protests not only on the Maidan in Kyiv but in other Ukrainian cities – and the reaction to President Zelenskyy being implicated in a major battle in the U.S. between President Donald Trump and the Democrats that could lead to impeachment proceedings evidently convinced the Ukrainian leader that he had gotten it wrong and that damage-control measures were necessary.
In what appears to have been a sudden readjustment in approach to the news media, but what amounted to jumping from one extreme to another, President Zelenskyy convened his “marathon” and “no holds barred” press conference. It was certainly very different from what his predecessor Petro Poroshenko had relied on – speaking to a small hand-picked group of friendly journalists. Many were impressed or even loved the new approach; others dismissed it as a superficial show; still others were left dazed and unsure what to make of it all.
Mr. Zelenskyy acknowledged there had been a failure in communicating with the public about Steinmeier formula, and by implication on other matters. “Our team,” he told the journalists, “we really did not communicate with people and this is true. And it is a mistake, but in our other steps on protection of the interests of our country, there was no mistake.”
A leading Ukrainian political commentator, Volodymyr Fesenko, wrote that the “marathon” was the “latest demonstration of the unconventional style of Zelenskyy.” This form of direct dialogue with journalists was much more effective than the “archaic” press conferences we have been used to, he said, but added that its sheer length had resulted in an overload of information that was difficult to digest.
Journalist and former National Deputy Mustafa Nayyem paid tribute to Mr. Zelenskyy for daring to face the press in such an unpredictable format and for setting a new example.
Former President Poroshenko, who was frequently mentioned by Mr. Zelenskyy during the 14-hour session, claimed that his political opponent devoted too much attention to his “predecessors,” instead of concentrating on what he himself had managed to achieve since gaining power. Mr. Poroshenko admitted that his nerves had given out after the first hour of the 14-hour exercise.
The war between the two rivals has clearly not abated. “Poroshenko makes a mistake: he thinks that he could be the leader of another Maidan,” Mr. Zelenskyy claimed. “You have seen from President [Frank-Walter] Steinmeier himself, the German side, the French side and many European media – they are shocked… He forgets that he is no longer the president. Moreover, he pushes people step by step, and he pushes people with his actions and his media resources.”
Mr. Zelenskyy made it clear that Mr. Poroshenko may face criminal charges. “Mr. Poroshenko will answer for all that he did, and I don’t want to influence this. The law enforcement agencies will have to deal with him,” he said.
Mr. Zelenskyy explained that he was ready for a dialogue with the people of Ukraine and anxious to avoid an ugly internal confrontation. “Concerning the Maidan… I’m not afraid of anything. At any moment, at any second, if society does not want my team to continue, does not want me to be president… there will be no bloodshed. I am very calm about this.”