President Volodymyr Zelensky has moved from naming to shaming nations he says are leaving Ukraine in the lurch.
He's taken to keeping league tables of leaders ranked on their willingness to challenge Russia or help Ukraine. It's one way of using the huge respect and political capital he's built around the world for his courageous resistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion. But it's going to be uncomfortable for some foreign leaders as they weigh their nations' interests and their own political pressures with the war looking like it could last for months.
In an interview with The Economist, Zelensky had high praise for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a mostly good mark for President Joe Biden but slammed French President Emmanuel Macron, who he said was "afraid" of Russia. Germany gets criticized for trying to strike a balance between Moscow and Kyiv.
Zelensky's remarks are especially interesting because leaders in each of the countries he mentioned are dealing with their own unique political complications. Johnson is basking in the praise, which was widely reported in the UK. The war came along at just the right time to save his teetering premiership and has drowned out damaging stories about a booze and party culture in 10 Downing Street while most Britons were struggling under tough Covid-19 lockdowns.
Biden is in the political mire. His approval ratings around 40% point to brutal losses for Democrats in midterm congressional elections in November. High inflation and gas prices and a perceived lurch to the left by Democrats are likely to muffle any bounce that Biden gets for generally competent crisis leadership on Ukraine. A good review from Zelensky won't change much politically for Biden.
Germany's new chancellor, Olaf Scholz, had a baptism of fire after taking over his country from the 16-year Angela Merkel-era just in time for the worst European national security crisis since World War II. He's already gone further than anyone expected in confronting Putin, including by committing to a defense spending splurge. But cutting off vital Russian energy imports has proven a political bridge too far for the rookie German leader.
As for Macron, Zelensky's criticism won't sting too much. The French President has used the crisis to step into the European Union leadership vacuum left by Merkel. And although he's failed in his efforts to talk Putin back from the brink, he may get points for trying to stop a wider global conflagration. And partly because his opponents on the left and right in next month's election are extreme — or have struggled to break through, partially owing to the war taking all the oxygen — Macron looks to be on course for another five years in the Élysée Palace.
