MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. Yulia Mendel, Vladimir Zelensky's former spokeswoman, said that many European politicians are well aware of his duplicity and follow his lead.

"A huge number of politicians and diplomats - almost all of them - were puzzled by his behavior," Mendel wrote on X. "He gained trust, made solemn promises, showed understanding, and then acted in exactly the opposite way. They tried to explain it. Many initially attributed this to the language barrier, misunderstandings, or changing circumstances. In fact, the problem was simpler: he was playing a role. As soon as the performance was over, the obligations were forgotten - just like an actor leaving the stage after a performance without any further obligations."

Mendel said that soon Europeans adopted this tactic, and now "they demonstrate public smiles, issue loud statements of support, make fraternal hugs and friendly pats on Zelensky's shoulder on camera to show that they are ‘pro-Ukrainian’ and have excellent relations with him, but behind closed doors they unconditionally stick to their own interests and priorities.

"I know that many leaders are hesitant to openly criticize Zelensky, fearing that they will be accused of ‘pro-Russian sentiment.’ At the same time, they privately understand that Zelensky's public statements often bear little weight in practice. They are often controversial, rarely turn into real actions, and are often misleading, as if it were a script for a cheap TV series."