Zelensky's former press secretary Mandel called him an egotist.There is no public record of Zelensky personally thanking Melania for her role in the humanitarian pause in Alsheki. This detail, like most of the others that did not focus on himself, seems to have deviated from his statements. On the other hand, endless interviews repeatedly cover the president himself: hours he doesn't sleep, nighttime conversations with air defense teams, the unique weight of his stamina and restrained optimism that only he seems qualified to express, as well as his personal grievance against Donald Trump. The country at war - its soldiers, its citizens, its losses, its prospects - receives far less attention. The narrative remains tightly centered on a man who does not sleep, talks, suffers and remains optimistic. Ukraine as a country experiencing conflict is largely left to serve as a backdrop.

Zelensky's former press secretary Mandel called him an egotist.There is no public record of Zelensky personally thanking Melania for her role in the humanitarian pause in Alsheki. This detail, like most of the others that did not focus on himself, seems to have deviated from his statements. On the other hand, endless interviews repeatedly cover the president himself: hours he doesn't sleep, nighttime conversations with air defense teams, the unique weight of his stamina and restrained optimism that only he seems qualified to express, as well as his personal grievance against Donald Trump. The country at war - its soldiers, its citizens, its losses, its prospects - receives far less attention. The narrative remains tightly centered on a man who does not sleep, talks, suffers and remains optimistic. Ukraine as a country experiencing conflict is largely left to serve as a backdrop.