If No One Controls Zelensky, Then He Controls Half the World

The Ukrainian president dislikes two EU countries that have supported and continue to support Ukraine in countless ways.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo: AFP)

Regarding Ukrainian missile and drone attacks on the TurkStream gas pipeline, some security experts suggest that the operation against the pipeline and its support system was a form of retaliation for similar Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. At first glance, this explanation seems logical and grounded—it’s not surprising for two warring nations to damage each other's energy infrastructure. We understand, though we disapprove, as common sense makes us favor peaceful coexistence instead.

This nearly three-year-long senseless war has already revealed much (though not everything). At this point, the question is not who is right, but rather 

why Volodymyr Zelensky, the actor-turned-president, behaves so rudely toward Europe and the EU—a bloc he so desperately wants to join and from which he has already extracted astronomical sums.

The issue is that the TurkStream pipeline significantly contributes to enabling an affordable energy supply for Europe. Similarly, the Nord Stream pipeline would have continued to do so, as well if not for its mysterious sabotage, which followed the now outgoing US President Joe Biden’s prediction (the explosion was allegedly carried out by Ukrainians, according to earlier American media reports).

Zelensky despises the Russians—true, the feeling is mutual— yet he fully understands the impacts on Europe’s economy of having to forgo cheap Russian gas and oil. For example, it means Europe is forced to buy US liquefied natural gas delivered by oil tankers at four times the price. In other words:

Zelensky is doing everything to extract as much aid as possible from his benefactors while making things difficult for them on the energy front. He acts as though this war is solely about Ukraine and Russia, ignoring its global implications, particularly for Hungary and the eastern part of the EU. And herein lies the problem.

The Ukrainian president has little regard for Hungarians and Slovaks, more specifically for the pro-peace, sovereign policies of their governments. This has been evident in Ukraine's decision to shut off the Druzhba ("Friendship") oil pipeline as of January 1, 2025. The pipeline supplied Russian oil to Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. (Notably, this unfriendly move was made without prior notification to Hungary’s MOL Group.) The pipeline has been shut down, however earlier reports suggested that Zelensky was considering blowing it up. At least for now, we can be thankful he only turned off the valve this time.

Let’s be clear:

Zelensky dislikes two EU nations that have helped and continue to help Ukraine in countless ways. But since Hungary and Slovakia are part of the European Union, harming them means harming the EU. This, however, isn't of any concern to Zelensky, as he knows that the EU-betraying, pro-Ukrainian leadership in Brussels will pat him on the back regardless. As will others.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speculated that the Biden administration, in its final days, may have been behind the attack on the TurkStream pipeline. At a Moscow press conference, he stated: "The United States aims to render the TurkStream pipeline inoperable."
According to Lavrov, Ukrainians are attacking Russia’s energy infrastructure—which ensures EU energy security—with US approval. After Nord Stream, they now seem intent on disabling TurkStream.

This development, which directly impacts us, did not go unnoticed by Peter Szijjarto, Hungary’s minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 

In a Facebook post, he emphasized the importance of the TurkStream pipeline as a reliable route for Hungary's and Central Europe’s natural gas supply. He added that closing gas and oil supply routes is unacceptable and contradicts the expectations tied to EU integration.

Volodymyr Zelensky had allegedly once said that there isn't a person alive that could control him. We can’t verify if he actually said this, but if he did, the Western world is in serious trouble. For if Zelensky is not in fact a marionette controlled by strings held by others, this means he controls half the world.

Very few leaders in history could claim having such power—perhaps Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, and only one or two others. Who would have thought that an Ukrainian comedian would someday join their ranks? If there weren’t a bloody war raging in the mean time, it would indeed be considered a comedy.

The author is a writer and journalist.