My Meeting with President Zelensky
It was a peaceful and hot summer of 2019. Ukraine was recovering from a political storm of presidential elections in March and April, with a record 44 candidates — the best illustration of a young and vibrant Ukrainian democracy. The election elevated, as many thought at the time, a random figure to the political Olympus — actor and comedian Volodymir Zelensky.
People, tired of politics, chose the show person, “the man from TV,” in the hope that their own lives would turn into a bright TV show with a happy ending. It was really a time of great hope. Ukrainian society was dominated by euphoria and dreams of a peaceful, prosperous future.
I felt this atmosphere in the 2nd class car of the Kiev-Lviv train as it took me into the heart of western Ukraine. It was July — the middle of a relaxing and gently lulling Ukrainian summer.
Behind the train window was endless and magical Ukrainian nature: the dense forests of Volyn, then the picturesque hills and fields of Galicia. I especially liked the ancient town of Dubno, praised by Nikolai Gogol in his famous story Taras Bulba. Its location on a gentle hill and the picturesque castle of the Princes of Ostrogsky were really beautiful. But, my destination was Lviv, the historical center of Ukraine and its unique culture.
