I think his heart is in the right place. I've talked to him about these things. He's very sensitive to the judgment of history. He knows that. Ukraine has been fighting since long before he became president to be an independent sovereign democracy with freedom of speech.

Simon Shuster

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A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."

Simon Shuster is a staff writer for Time magazine who covers politics in Ukraine and Russia. His new book is called The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky.

Key Highlights

• Introduction - 0:20
• The Early Zelensky - 3:30
• Wartime President - 19:16
• Politics in Wartime Ukraine - 33:59
• Democracy in Ukraine - 36:18

Key Links

The Showman: Inside the Invasion that Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky by Simon Shuster

"Where Zelensky Comes From" by Simon Shuster in Time

Follow Simon Shuster on X @shustry

Democracy Paradox Podcast

Serhii Plokhy on the Russo-Ukrainian War

Olga Onuch and Henry Hale Describe the Zelensky Effect

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