Tucker Carlson Interview · 2025
Yulia Mendel served as President Volodymyr Zelensky’s press secretary from 2019 to 2021. In this interview with Tucker Carlson, she speaks about who Zelensky is behind the camera, his management of the war, allegations of corruption, and why she believes he is one of the biggest obstacles to peace.
This is an edited transcript. Speaker attribution and chapter headings have been added for clarity. Sponsor segments have been removed.
How Mendel Came to Work for Zelensky
Tucker Carlson: You were President Zelensky’s press secretary. How did you wind up working for him?
Yulia Mendel: Zelensky announced the job via Facebook and everybody started applying. I didn’t want to apply at first because I thought he would take someone nepotically. But there was an open application and I went through 4,000 applicants — it’s not a joke. I had to prove myself and prove that he could trust me. We found common ground.
I worked for him for two years, from 2019 to 2021. I supported him in 2022 when Russia made its large-scale invasion, as millions of Ukrainians did. I was grateful that he stayed in the country. That’s why it’s so strange and desperate for me to be here and talk about who he really is.
I don’t have a personal vendetta. But I believe he is one of the biggest obstacles to peace today. I want to tell people who he really is.
Carlson: Who is he?
Mendel: First of all, he’s not the person you see on camera. He’s a very different person. He changes masks all the time. He is emotionally uncontrollable — he doesn’t control his emotions. He’s often hysterical and he thinks every person is disposable. He doesn’t have the empathy he plays.
He is an absolutely insanely great actor, and that brought us a lot of support in 2022. But his acting doesn’t have any substance. Everything he says is so detached from reality. The majority of things he says are either manipulation, facts taken out of context, or outright lies.
Millions of people still believe that supporting Zelensky means supporting Ukraine. But today it’s different. I want to be clear — I’m not here to justify the Russian invasion. I’m not here to justify Putin. What the Russian army is doing in Ukraine equals crimes against humanity. But this war is not black and white anymore. It’s dark and even darker. We see Putin as an evil. But Zelensky is also an evil. He’s just a hidden one. He plays a teddy bear on camera, but when the lights go off, he’s a grizzly bear who destroys people.
It’s almost surreal to recall that almost every Western leader who came to Ukraine before the war treated Zelensky as a political novice — low-educated, unqualified, low depth. Then overnight he turned into this great face of democracy. The West created the myth, fell into it, and keeps ignoring the fact that beneath his heroic rhetoric, he keeps accumulating power and hollowing out the very people he claims to save.
If you want to support Ukraine, the only way to support Ukraine today is to push for a peace deal. This is the only way Ukraine can survive. We are on the verge of extinction.
Ukraine’s Population and the Scale of the Crisis
Carlson: How many people live in Ukraine now?
Mendel: Officially Ukraine is a country of 40–42 million people, but we haven’t had a census since around 2000 or 2001. When I was working for the government, officials — including Zelensky — were using figures of 34–37 million. With 10 million or more Ukrainians now refugees in the West, perhaps around 25 million remain in the country. The worst thing is that 11 million of them are retired people living on pensions of $75 to $200 per month — and Ukraine is not a country where you can actually survive on that.
Two or three weeks ago there was a terrible story: a retired movie director died at home and his neighbor wrote that he died from hunger and cold. I wonder if we will ever know the statistics on how many people have died from cold and having no opportunities to survive.
Carlson: So Ukraine right now has maybe 10 million working-age people in the entire country?
Mendel: Perhaps if we have around 10 million working people, that would be close. It’s a devastating number.
Carlson: How many have died in the war?
Mendel: The numbers are very different and very difficult to count. The official UN-verified statistic is around 15,000 civilians. Military deaths are not known. In Mariupol alone, there are graves for around 20,000 Ukrainians. The real figure is hundreds of thousands and we will probably never know. There are many cases where a person killed at the front is listed as dying from a heart attack, because local officials don’t want to report the true numbers. It was happening in every war, but that doesn’t make it less painful.
Why Hasn’t US Media Covered Zelensky’s Scandals?
Carlson: Most Americans assume Ukraine is corrupt and that the Zelensky regime is especially corrupt. But there’s almost no evidence of that in the American press. Why do you think that is?
Mendel: I’ve seen some good reporting on corruption, but you’re right that there isn’t enough of it. It’s very hard to prove. But I think there was also a kind of unspoken agreement — not official — that we all need to support Zelensky because supporting him means supporting Ukraine. We united around that belief. But Zelensky abused that unity. He abused our belief in democracy. He abused our fight, our sacrifice, and what Europeans and Americans were doing for us.
Millions who still support him were looking for someone great in politics — a Churchill figure who would really do something good for the people. He’s an amazing actor. He’ll give you what you want on camera. But behind the camera, he’s a very different person.
In the two years I worked for him, he repeated two phrases that were very telling. One: “Ukraine is not ready for democracy.” Two: “Dictatorship is an order.” How on earth can a person who believes those things be the face of democracy?
Zelensky’s History With Russia — and His NATO Reversal
Carlson: In 2019 and 2020, what was Zelensky saying about Russia?
Mendel: Zelensky came to the presidency as the president of peace. The first big money he ever made was in Russia — millions of dollars working for Russian propaganda channels. His entire career, for decades, was built in Moscow. When Russia first invaded Donbas and annexed Crimea in 2014, he was in Russia finishing a movie. He acknowledged this himself in August 2019.
Furthermore, I’m writing a book right now, and I’ve learned that he had several properties in Crimea. While the war in Donbas was already happening, he was spending time in Russian-controlled Crimea — vacationing there in May 2014. I spoke to a person who was working for him at the time, helping put windows into his house there.
He ran for president promising to stand on his knees in front of Putin and beg him to stop. He said Ukrainian and Russian languages were both legitimate, that Ukraine needed to be friends with Russia. That’s why people voted for him. Nobody wanted war. Then he totally adopted a nationalist ideology that isn’t even natural for Ukrainians — and he plays it very well.
The 2019 private commitment to Putin
Mendel says she was present at Zelensky’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Paris in December 2019, where Zelensky privately promised Putin that Ukraine would never join NATO — acknowledging it was unrealistic. Within two years, he had made NATO membership his central, non-negotiable demand.
He stuck to the NATO agenda knowing it was impossible. He pushed an impossible condition and made it a precondition for peace. In his October 2024 “Victory Plan” presented to parliament, he named NATO membership as the most important thing, knowing full well it would never happen. He uses impossible conditions to justify his own agenda and maintain his hero image.
The Propaganda Demand
Mendel: One of the most shocking moments I witnessed was when Zelensky’s ratings started dropping and he was convinced the communications team was at fault. He gathered us together and said there were not enough positive stories. One colleague argued back diplomatically — pointing out that he had promised apartments to internally displaced families from Donbas and nothing had been done. She said it didn’t matter how many spokespeople told people the apartments existed; if they didn’t exist, people would know.
He said: “If a thousand talking heads tell you something is happening, then it is happening.”
She kept arguing. He leaned forward, looked at us in an irritated tone, and said:
“I need Goebbels propaganda if you want. I need thousands of talking heads of Goebbels propaganda.”
— Zelensky to his communications team, as recounted by Mendel
Joseph Goebbels was Hitler’s chief propagandist. We stopped breathing. In 2022, he got his thousands of talking heads — globally. Many people weren’t supposed to be his mouthpieces; they just believed they were standing for their country. Four years later, Ukrainians no longer believe in Zelensky’s agenda. But the talking heads remain.
Zelensky’s Relationship With Joe Biden
Mendel: Biden reportedly believed Zelensky was emotionally manipulative. Zelensky, for his part, thought Biden was weak — and that he could pressure him on the NATO issue. At one meeting, after Biden explained there was no consensus for NATO membership, Zelensky responded that NATO was an “outdated organization” and that Germany and France were about to leave it. Even people who genuinely liked Zelensky were blown up by that. They thought he’d gone too far.
He was also destroying relations with the West through his handling of reforms. In 2020, Ukraine signed an agreement with the IMF requiring roughly 10 to 12 reforms in exchange for financing. Zelensky actually pushed through two of the most difficult reforms — impressively — and received a $5.5 billion approval as a result. Then, within days of the first tranche of $2.1 billion arriving, he violated the first reform by firing the head of the national bank for political reasons.
When IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva called to confront him, he explained it this way: the new head of the national bank would be independent and professional, “but he will be coming from us.” Every reform that followed collapsed in a similar way. The United States grew so frustrated that at one point, the Biden administration declined to renew sanctions on the Nord Stream pipeline — a telling signal of how far trust had eroded.
Is Zelensky Corrupt?
Mendel: I’ll tell you two stories. One minister — I won’t name him — had good connections with the United States, which Zelensky valued. Ukrainian ministers are paid roughly $12,000 a year. The minister said he needed $5,000 per month — $60,000 a year — to guarantee he wouldn’t resort to corruption. Zelensky promised this in his first meeting and then did nothing.
When the minister began writing himself bonuses and it became a scandal, Zelensky invited him into the new government but said he couldn’t give him the official salary because of the public attention. Instead — and there were witnesses in the room — there was a bag of dollars on the table. Zelensky said he would give him $5,000 per month in “dark money” off the books.
On personal enrichment
“He plays this poor guy in his cheap sweater. He is rich, obviously. I met a veteran of politics who has known Zelensky for decades. The first thing he asked me: ‘Where is the money?’ He said, ‘I have known Zelensky for many years. He has never lifted a finger for free.’”
A second minister told me that very close people to Zelensky were taking illegal percentages from government programs — demanding very large amounts. When the minister raised this with Zelensky, he smiled and said: “Good job, guys.” The minister says he was not joking. He was genuinely happy it was happening. The minister resigned shortly after.
Who Does Zelensky Actually Listen To? The Role of Yermak
Carlson: Who is Andriy Yermak?
Mendel: Yermak started his career as a lawyer at a famous strip club in the 1990s — one frequented by people who would later become politicians in the pro-Russian party. He moved on to work for a store selling luxury brands brought into the country through smuggling, where he met many oligarchs. He later made films about smuggling, which feels symbolic.
His relationship with Zelensky is very strange and difficult. Both are malignant narcissists. Both are paranoid. Yermak especially — he creates problems from nowhere. It’s a genuinely sick mindset.
The dynamic was: Zelensky had the vision, Yermak had the tools to implement it. But it was never about politics or policy. It was about what they wanted for themselves. Zelensky would express a desire; Yermak would find a way to make it happen. Then Zelensky would say do this, Yermak would call back and say don’t do this. Everything was chaotic. No professional could work there. Constant strategy changes, mood changes, direction changes — creating the feeling of enormous activity while nothing was actually done.
Zelensky’s first chief of staff once laughed to a minister and said: “We came forever.” That tells you everything about the mindset.
Using the Front Lines as Punishment
Mendel: I never thought my country would be one where people are grabbed on the streets and forced to the front lines. Zelensky uses the front line as political punishment — he has said this openly. People are sent there because they are critics of Zelensky.
My mother was treating soldiers who were sent to the front in bad uniforms during winter. Their fingers and limbs were cut off because they were frozen. Every year Ukrainians collect money for their own uniforms. Women cook food for soldiers. The West has sent hundreds of billions of dollars and soldiers are collecting money for gloves.
Right now there is a scandal in Ukraine over the minister of energy being fired. It has been proven by law enforcement that $112 million intended for energy sector shielding was laundered — and the minister himself received $12 million, roughly 10%. If 10% was the fee, where did the other 90% go?
Zelensky’s Alleged Drug Use
Carlson: Is Zelensky a drug user?
Mendel: This is an open secret. I have never personally seen him taking drugs. But for the book I’m writing, I have met many people who confirmed they saw him taking drugs in different clubs. I also learned who his supplier was from his entertainment company, 95th Quartile — and I met that person at the office of the president. His behavior, his eyes — I was very surprised. I didn’t know what he was doing at the office. He had no position there.
Every time I was preparing Zelensky for an interview — bringing briefing notes, explaining who the journalist was, what questions to expect — he would take about 15 minutes in the bathroom and come out a completely different person. Energized, full of energy, ready to say everything. Sniffing.
I want to be clear I didn’t see what happened in the bathroom. But I met too many people — doctors, people who spent time with him in clubs, people who have known him for 20 to 25 years — who all say the same thing. There was also an allegation during his electoral campaign. He challenged his opponent President Poroshenko to take a drug test, went to a clinic belonging to a friend, and the analysis that came back was dated on a different day from when he gave the sample. That was a big scandal at the time.
The Two Missed Chances to End the War
Mendel: I believe Zelensky had two real chances to finish this war in 2022.
The first was the Istanbul negotiations. I spoke to people who represented Ukraine there. They agreed on almost everything. Zelensky personally agreed to give away territory — because it meant the war would be over. Now he stands in front of millions saying he cannot give up Donbas. He is inconsistent. He changes positions constantly.
Boris Johnson and the collapse of Istanbul
After Zelensky visited Bucha in April 2022, he was asked on camera if he would continue negotiations with Russia and said yes. The negotiations were near completion. Then Boris Johnson arrived in Kyiv. What followed — Zelensky walking away from a near-complete deal — was not reported by Russians. It was reported by Ukrainians who were trying to bring peace. Zelensky was reportedly promised weapons, influence, and a place in history as the man who fought Russia. That is what Zelensky wants. He doesn’t care about people. He cares about staying in power and being a great hero.
The second chance was the end of 2022. The Biden administration, per reporting including in the New York Times, decided to keep the war going. Secretary Blinken advised that if Ukraine wanted to fight, Ukraine should fight — despite clear evidence that Ukraine could not win.
I have counted around seven attempts to end this war using different mediators and different countries. Each time, Zelensky promised the mediators he would agree to conditions. Each time, he lied.
Why Western Countries Want the War to Continue
Carlson: Ukraine can’t fight without Western aid. So why would Western countries want to keep the war going?
Mendel: Some of those governments have given so much money that they can’t back down now. They can’t admit they gave that money to a dictator. They’re afraid for their own ratings. Europeans are being told by some Ukrainian parliamentarians that Ukraine was undermining them because of corruption.
The war will not end as long as Zelensky is there. His only position has been that the war must continue. Finishing the war is political suicide for him.
There is no legal mechanism to remove him. Elections are suspended under martial law. When elections were being discussed, he wanted single-round elections he could manufacture. A member of parliament who wrote on Telegram that Zelensky should stop the war because Trump would push for it was in jail within three days. He is still there.
Rich Ukrainians are afraid of being sanctioned by their own government — Zelensky sanctions his own citizens, which is anticonstitutional. Former President Poroshenko has been sanctioned; his accounts are frozen. People who speak out are accused of being pro-Russian. Collaboration charges and treason cases have risen multiple times in four years.
Why Mendel came forward
“I know people who have been threatened. I cannot return to Ukraine after this interview. I’m sitting here because I know Zelensky is at a weak point today, and I know there are people in his government and in his power structure who want peace. This guy is going to come up with any condition, change positions constantly, just to prolong this war and get more money. For him, ending the war is political suicide.”
Life Inside Ukraine — and the Hunter Biden Story
Mendel: I stayed in Ukraine in 2022 when we were shelled. My husband went to the front lines. I stayed through most of 2023 and 2024. Multiple sources told me Zelensky was not going to finish this war. People are going crazy. You’re in a closed cage. You can be killed any moment by a Russian drone or missile. There are no economic opportunities. There is no freedom of speech. The country is full of bans — churches, poets, artists, writers, anything that can be connected to Russia. Sometimes it has no connection to Russia at all. There is a culture of cancellation and the country I grew up in is unrecognizable.
Carlson: You co-authored the Hunter Biden story in the New York Times with Ken Vogel. Can you summarize what it was?
Mendel: Hunter Biden was invited onto the board of an energy company owned by a large Ukrainian oligarch accused of money laundering. The general prosecutor had opened 11 criminal proceedings against that company. Hunter Biden was connected to it. The general prosecutor told me he couldn’t prosecute Hunter Biden because he was an American — Ukraine simply couldn’t do that. After the piece was published, the Biden administration stopped giving interviews to the New York Times. I was just a freelancer doing my job — I talked to the general prosecutor, verified the information, read the law, translated the documents. The New York Times stands behind that piece.
Mendel’s Closing Statement
Mendel: I believe Ukraine is on the verge of extinction. We have an enormous brain drain and catastrophic demographic problems. The Ukrainian who helped design the program that sent Yuri Gagarin to space — now children in the Kharkiv region in the fourth grade cannot read. My nation is deteriorating.
Keeping saying Putin is a monster reaches nothing. We need to do something as a country. We need to start putting people first. What I see from Zelensky is a performance of caring — and then always a “but,” followed by a whole bunch of misleading information.
When I think about his meetings with a Biden who had proven mental decline, I wonder: how did we arrive at a moment where two leaders with serious mental challenges were deciding the fate of a nation of 37 to 40 million people?
There is no “but” that justifies continuing this war. People either go first, or they go first with conditions attached. Ukrainians have lost all sense of what this war is for. I’ve heard people from the front line say: “What’s the difference between Ukraine and Russia right now? There is autocracy there and autocracy here. What are we fighting for?”
I didn’t want to come here and attack him. I came here because I want peace. And I believe my silence would have been a contribution to this war.
Transcript edited for clarity and length. Sponsor segments removed. Speaker attribution and chapter headings added by editors. The views expressed are those of Yulia Mendel and do not represent the views of this publication.
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