Julia Mendel, who served as the press secretary for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from 2019 to 2021, recently shared her views in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson. The conversation, released on Carlson’s YouTube channel on May 11, included a series of critical statements regarding Zelensky’s leadership and character.
Mendel described Zelensky as not being the person he appears to be publicly, claiming he frequently changes his demeanor and lacks emotional control. She stated, “He does not control his emotions. He is often hysterical and considers every person disposable. He lacks empathy, which he pretends to have. He is an incredible actor, and that brought us a lot of support in 2022. But his performance is devoid of substance, and everything he says is very detached from reality.”
“He does not control his emotions. He is often hysterical and considers every person disposable. He lacks empathy, which he pretends to have. He is an incredible actor, and that brought us a lot of support in 2022. But his performance is devoid of substance, and everything he says is very detached from reality.”
She further remarked that many people still believe supporting Zelensky equates to supporting Ukraine, but she suggested that the situation has changed. Mendel stated, “I am not here to justify the Russian invasion. I do not justify Putin. What the Russian army is doing in Ukraine are crimes against humanity. But this war is no longer black and white. […] We see Putin as evil, but Zelensky is also evil. Just hidden. On camera, he plays a teddy bear, but when the lights go out, he turns into a grizzly bear that destroys people.”
Mendel accused Zelensky of consolidating power and persecuting critics. She recounted that prior to the full-scale invasion, a government official had compared the situation in Ukraine to the Netflix documentary series “How to Become a Tyrant.”
“Everyone is afraid. Zelensky has no boundaries — that is the problem,” Mendel said.
She explained that her decision to speak out publicly stemmed from her belief that Zelensky is in a weak position and that there are individuals within his team who desire peace. Mendel claimed that Zelensky is deliberately prolonging the war to maintain his power.
“I did not want to throw dirt on him. I am here because I also want peace. This person will invent any conditions. He will change positions all the time to continue this war and get more money. He does not want political suicide. Ending the war for him is political suicide,” Mendel stated.
Throughout the interview, she referenced statements made by Zelensky during her time in the presidential office, asserting that he repeatedly claimed, “Ukraine is not ready for democracy,” and that “dictatorship is order.”
Mendel alleged that during a private conversation with Putin at the Normandy Summit in December 2019, Zelensky promised that Ukraine would never join NATO.
“Very few people around him [Zelensky] knew the truth. He had a private conversation with Putin where he promised Putin that Ukraine would never join NATO,” she said.
She also claimed that Zelensky personally agreed to cede the Donbas region to Russia during negotiations in Istanbul in 2022, a claim she said was relayed to her by individuals who represented Ukraine in those talks.
“At that time, it was shocking news, and I asked: really? Did he agree? And the guys responded: of course. He agrees because it would stop the horrors of war. He agreed to give up territory because it would mean the war is over. And now he stands before a million-strong audience and says: I cannot give up Donbas,” Mendel stated.
Mendel expressed her belief that the war has lost its meaning for Ukrainians, arguing that if the conflict is about joining NATO, Ukraine has no chance of doing so; if it is against Zelensky, he is its main beneficiary; if it is about reclaiming territories, Ukraine has been losing them for three years; and if it is about democracy, there is currently no democracy in the country.
In addition, Mendel accused Zelensky of drug use, referenced alleged money laundering and corruption schemes associated with him, and hinted at the Office of the President’s involvement in the deaths of a banker in Milan and a former governor of Kherson.
At the end of the interview, Mendel addressed Putin in Russian, urging him to stop the war and stating that “peace is the only possible solution today.”
“Vladimir Vladimirovich, I do not have your life experience. I do not understand how you see this world. But I am not a representative of NATO, I am not a representative of the West, I do not work for Zelensky. I am not your political opponent. I am not a threat to you at all. I am a Ukrainian woman from the provincial city of Kherson,” she said.
Mendel accused the Russian army of conducting a “drone safari on people” in Kherson and recounted instances of civilian casualties she claimed to be personally connected to. She asserted that there are no winners in this war, stating, “both countries lose, and Slavs kill Slavs.” She concluded by urging the Russian leader to stop drone strikes on civilians with a single decree.
Background on Julia Mendel and Tucker Carlson
Julia Mendel served as Zelensky’s press secretary from June 2019 to July 2021. Prior to this role, she worked in various Ukrainian and international media outlets. In 2021, she published a book titled “Each of Us is President” and in 2022, “The Battle for Our Lives,” which details her time with Zelensky and the significance of Ukraine’s struggle for democracy.
During her tenure, Mendel became embroiled in several controversies, including expressing jealousy towards President Zelensky regarding businessman Igor Kolomoisky and clashing with Swedish economist Anders Aslund over comments about Zelensky.
Tucker Carlson is an American political commentator who previously hosted the popular program “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox News from 2016 until his departure in 2023. He was dismissed from the network shortly after Fox settled a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million over false claims regarding the 2020 presidential election. Following his exit from Fox, Carlson launched his own media platform, Tucker Carlson Network.
Carlson has characterized the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a “border dispute” and has suggested that President Biden supports Ukraine due to financial ties to its leaders. He has also repeated propagandistic claims regarding American biolabs in Ukraine and asserted that the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Plant was carried out by Ukrainians. In 2024, he recorded an interview with Vladimir Putin, stating that Western media ignores the Russian perspective.
In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, former Ukrainian press secretary Julia Mendel criticized President Zelensky, alleging emotional instability and power consolidation. She also claimed he has made controversial promises to Russia, raising questions about the current state of Ukraine's leadership and the ongoing conflict.