Everyone wants a piece of Zelenskyy
Typical, isn’t it? You go years without an invasion and then two come along at once. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had enough on his plate with the advancing Russian troops laying waste to the east of his country.
Increasingly, the Ukrainian president has to contend with another army pouring across his border from the West: the legions of political leaders, celebrities and other groupies yearning to bask in his presence.
In the inchoate field of “Zelenskyywashing”, reflected glory is the best disinfectant. Problems at home? Get to Kyiv.
The latest to slip through Kyiv’s defences is the actor, director and writer Ben Stiller, who was granted his audience earlier this week. Meet the Parents met the Zelentz.
For anyone wondering what business Derek Zoolander has in an active war zone, Stiller is also a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
Stiller is not the only celebrity to make the trip east.
Last month, Zelenskyy invited Bono and The Edge to perform in the Kyiv metro.
Who decides which actors make the cut? Is there an adviser who says yes to Stiller, but no to Adam Sandler?
When the conflict broke out, actor Sean Penn was in the country making a documentary for Vice, a multimedia platform.
He was so impressed by his meeting with Zelenskyy that he threatened to “smelt” his Oscars if the Ukrainian was not invited to this year’s awards.
But the celebrities are nothing next to the politicians. When, in April, the first group visited — the leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — it felt like an act of solidarity.
Since then American politicians Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi and Mitch Mcconnell have come to see if they can’t pilfer some of his charisma.
Facing wipeout in the parliamentary elections, President Macron went to say hello in person. He did so in the French style, embracing the Ukrainian president like a high-school girlfriend after three days apart. Zelenskyy looked suitably unimpressed.
Still, nothing compares to the enthusiasm of the original fan-boy. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson’s first visit, walking around the bombed-out Kyiv, showed a rare flash of leadership. It also served as a convenient distraction from problems at home. He must have found it refreshing to be somewhere where he was genuinely popular.
In Ukraine, Johnson is Bazooka Santa, an odd-looking bloke who keeps sending rocket launchers.
The irony can’t be lost on the Ukrainian president: before the war he couldn’t have bought a meeting with Johnson; now he can’t get rid of him.