Volodymyr Zelensky doesn’t pull his punches about the West’s leaders, says The Economist. In an in-depth interview, Zelensky accuses Emmanuel Macron of refusing to help arm Ukraine because he’s “afraid of Russia”. Germany, meanwhile, with its “long relationship” with Moscow, is making the “mistake” of viewing the situation “through the prism of the economy”. Joe Biden is becoming increasingly engaged, but he may be among those “who don’t mind a long war because it would mean exhausting Russia”. At least Boris Johnson “is definitely on our side”, sending mountains of weapons and emphatically “not performing a balancing act”.
Zelensky is furious at the Europeans, who are dragging their feet over further sanctions – such as an embargo on Russian oil and gas – until further red lines are crossed by Vladimir Putin. That decision depends on “whether Russia launches a chemical attack on us”, says Zelensky. “This is not the right approach. We are not guinea pigs to be experimented on.” In contrast to Putin, for whom “life is cheap and history belongs to great men”, Zelensky celebrates the courage of ordinary Ukrainians standing in front of Russian tanks. “I could not have ordered them not to do it,” he says. “I will stay with these people until the end.”