David Letterman Meets With President Zelensky
David Letterman meets with President Zelensky for a Netflix talk show. David Letterman conducted an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his show on Netflix. The interview follows closely on the heels of a significant accolade that was bestowed upon the Ukrainian President.
Author:Paula M. GrahamReviewer:Rhyley CarneyDec 09, 20221.8K Shares41.9K Views
David Letterman meets with President Zelenskyfor a Netflix talk show. David Letterman conducted an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his show on Netflix.
The interview follows closely on the heels of a significant accolade that was bestowed upon the Ukrainian President.
As seen in the trailer for the upcoming episode of 'My Next Guest,' the former host of 'The Late Show' traveled to the European country in October to meet Zelensky in person.
While there, the two had a conversation in front of a live audience, in a secure underground area located somewhere within the troubled nation.
The Interview
See video trailer below.
My Next Guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy | Official Clip | Netflix
You see DL embarking on the journey to Ukraine, and he mentions that Russian attacks are still going on despite the fact that the war is still going on... so this is, to say the least, pretty dangerous territory.
Letterman extends his hand to Zelensky, and the two of them eventually take seats together just as Dave is about to begin asking some questions.
The preview ends before we can hear where he's going to start, but considering everything that's happened over the past year, including Zelensky and his military being able to turn the tables on Russia, it's sure to be an interesting conversation.
It is precisely because of this, in addition to other noteworthy reasons, such as Zelensky's perseverance and bravery, that Zelensky was named the Person of the Year by Time Magazine and graced the cover of their end-of-year issue.
Volodymyr Zelensky Facts
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, born January 25, 1978, is a Ukrainian politician, former comedian, and actor who has been the country's sixth and current president since 2019.
Zelenskyy grew up as a native Russian speaker in Kryvyi Rih, a major city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in central Ukraine, to a Ukrainian Jewish family. Prior to his acting career, he studied law at Kyiv National Economic University.
He then pursued a career in comedy, founding the production company Kvartal 95, which produced films, cartoons, and television shows such as Servant of the People, in which Zelenskyy played the Ukrainian president.
The show ran from 2015 to 2019 and was hugely popular. Employees of Kvartal 95 formed a political party with the same name as the television show in March 2018.
On the evening of December 31, 2018, Zelenskyy announced his candidacy for the 2019 presidential election on TV channel 1+1, alongside then-President Petro Poroshenko's New Year's Eve address.
As a political outsider, he had already emerged as one of the election's frontrunners in polls. In the second round, he defeated Poroshenko with 73.23 percent of the vote. He has positioned himself as a figure opposed to the establishment and corruption.
As president, Zelenskyy has advocated for e-government and unity among the country's Ukrainian and Russian-speaking populations. His communication style is heavily reliant on social media, specifically Instagram.
In the snap legislative election held shortly after his inauguration as president, his party won by a landslide. Zelenskyy oversaw the lifting of legal immunity for members of parliament (the Verkhovna Rada), the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recession, and some progress in combating corruption in Ukraine during his presidency.
Zelenskyy promised to end Ukraine's protracted conflict with Russia during his presidential campaign, and he has attempted to engage in dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In 2021, his administration faced an increase in tensions with Russia, culminating in the launch of the ongoing full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. During Russia's military buildup, Zelenskyy's strategy was to reassure the Ukrainian people and the international community that Ukraine was not planning retaliation.
He initially distanced himself from warnings of impending war, while also requesting security guarantees and NATO military support to "withstand" the threat.
After the invasion began, Zelenskyy declared martial law in Ukraine and ordered a general mobilization of the armed forces. His crisis leadership has earned him widespread international acclaim, and he has been described as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
Zelenskyy opposed targeting the Russian language in Ukraine and prohibiting artists from expressing their political views (such as those viewed by the Government as anti-Ukrainian).
In April 2019, he stated that he was not opposed to a Ukrainian language quota (on radio and television), but that they could be tweaked. He also stated that Russian artists "who have turned into (anti-Ukrainian) politicians" should be barred from entering the country.
Final Words
TIME named Zelensky Person of the Year 2022, and opinion polls in Ukraine ranked him as Ukraine's greatest president. People eagerly anticipate hearing him explain everything in his own words. On Monday, the episode will be available on the streaming service.
Paula M. Graham
Author
Rhyley Carney
Reviewer
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