Zelenskiy and a question of age

Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. Readers of the Eastern Europe Edition are also receiving this speci [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. Readers of the Eastern Europe Edition are also receiving this special edition. To receive Balance of Power going forward, [sign up here](. What seems top of mind for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as Russia’s invasion enters its third summer [is US politics.]( Like many of us, he watched last week’s presidential debate. Zelenskiy was respectful about Joe Biden, even as more than 70% of Americans don’t think he’s up to the job following his performance, but he also knows he needs to get in a room with Donald Trump. The former president said he could solve the war before he even takes office, [if he wins]( November’s election. His response that “I’m potentially ready to meet with President Trump” showed his need for clarity on the Republican contender’s thinking. Any surprises could be “tragic” for Ukraine, he said. Zelenskiy, 46, looked stunned when I asked if he could imagine doing his job at 81, even as he chose his words carefully in response to Biden’s debate performance that’s triggered speculation about his cognitive health. “Oh, I don’t know,” he laughed, adding that a lot depends on health, his team and the situation — Ukraine is at war, America isn’t. Zelenskiy in Kyiv on July 3. Photographer: Julia Kochetova/Bloomberg If a way can be found to the negotiating table, Zelenskiy isn’t expecting Vladimir Putin anytime soon, reckoning the Russian president too scared to come though he didn’t rule out an invitation to a future summit. For the war to “end fairly for Ukraine and the world,” the US and China working together would be the most likely to succeed, he thought. As I sat across from this wartime president, once comedian, in his army-green t-shirt, it’s clear the weight of the war and seismic political shifts haven’t yet broken him. “What was the last joke you told?” He says he still finds humor and laughter through the dark times, and enjoys a good meme. Without jokes, he said, “we’ll go crazy.” — [Annmarie Horder](n Global Must Reads Zelenskiy praised Elon Musk for providing “very helpful” Starlink [portable internet]( services used by Ukrainian forces, and said he has no personal misunderstanding with the tycoon, who has said Russia [can’t lose]( the war. “I disagree with his rhetoric, he I think disagrees with my rhetoric,” the president said. “I’m fighting a war and he’s there in the US. If he wants to know what’s happening here, he can pay a visit.” Ukraine is in talks to send natural gas from Azerbaijan to the European Union in place of Russian supplies, Zelenskiy said. Some European states continue to receive Russian gas [through a pipeline]( that crosses Ukraine under a transit agreement that expires at the end of 2024. “We don’t want to extend the gas contract” with Russia,  he said. “Alternative steps are being considered now on how we can use the pipeline.” Zelenskiy said China should play a “serious role” in resolving the war since Russia is now so dependent on its market for exports. He said he agreed with [an assessment]( by Finnish President Alexander Stubb that China could pressure Russia to stop fighting. Zelenskiy suggested the US and China, should they put aside differences, could act as joint mediators to end the conflict. Ukrainian forces are better positioned in terms of manpower than they were months ago and a new counteroffensive is a matter of arming its brigades, Zelenskiy said, adding that some 14 brigades were not equipped for combat amid delays in [weapons deliveries]( from US and European allies. That would amount to between 28,000 and 35,000 soldiers. “This is the biggest tragedy of this war, that between the decision and real fact, we have a real long, long, long wait,” he said. An invitation for Ukraine to join NATO would be[a strong sign]( that “no one is afraid” of Putin, Zelenskiy said. While he acknowledged Ukraine won’t get an offer to join the military alliance when NATO leaders meet in Washington next week to mark its 75th anniversary, he said a successful summit was important for his country’s defense. Andriy Yermak in Kyiv in March 2024. Photographer: Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images Zelenskiy defended the role of his chief of staff Andriy Yermak, who’s been the [focus of attention]( over the extent of his influence within the administration. The president called Yermak a powerful manager who implements his orders, and called media criticism of him an attempt to “attack me” by those unhappy with Zelenskiy’s leadership. Chart of the Day Zelenskiy has seen his approval ratings slip from the 90% he registered in the immediate wake of the invasion as the nation rallied around its leader. More than two years into the war — with rolling blackouts becoming a daily occurrence and no end in sight to the conflict — the support has decreased to 59%, according to Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. [Russian propaganda]( has increasingly aimed to exploit the growing sense of fatigue by raising questions about president’s legitimacy as martial law has delayed indefinitely a presidential election that was supposed to take place in May. And Finally House with Chimaeras, an Art Nouveau residence across the street from his office on Kyiv’s central Bankova Street, was picked by Zelenskiy’s staff for the interview. Designed in 1901 by a Polish architect Wladyslaw Horodecki, the building's interior features elaborate floral and animal forms and served as a children’s hospital during the Soviet era. House with Chimaeras, Kyiv. 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