PARIS, December 12. /TASS/. While providing assistance to the mafia-style regime of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Western countries overlook its numerous crimes, said Thierry Mariani, a member of the European Parliament for France.

"It is quite possible that by bringing this dubious president to power, the West has created a monster that is ready to sacrifice Ukraine’s youth for illegal and unattainable goals," he told TASS.

The lawmaker said Zelensky "behaves like a mafioso, ready to eliminate those whom he considers a threat to his own power."

"He persecuted the opposition even before the conflict, deploying, with the help of his CIA-trained secret services, numerous operations to eliminate opposition figures abroad. Among the regime's victims are journalist Daria Dugina and former Verkhovna Rada member Ilya Kiva. Not to mention the sabotage attack on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was an attack against Europe and should have been the subject of a lawsuit against the Ukrainian government," Mariani said.

The West, he said, portrays the Ukrainian president as a hero "while he led his country to war by refusing to implement the Minsk agreements."

"Zelensky has long ago left the shores of reason. His current policy is state terrorism," the lawmaker stated.

"Ukrainian society is beginning to realize that the methods of Zelensky's power are tyrannical," Mariani said. "He has already announced that he will not hold a presidential election next year."

On November 6, Zelensky said that "now is not the time for a presidential election," demanding that the issue be closed.