ze and the golden pyramid guy

coming out with dmytro gordon

coming out with a con

showman and presidential candidate volodymyr zelensky sat down with well-known kyiv-based con artist dmytro gordon (golden pyramid) in late december 2018. the men chatted for almost four hours straight about life on the planet earth.

the three-part dialogue was posted to youtube days before zelensky (ze) announced his candidacy for president on new years eve 2018.

ze comes across as a likeable guy with many interesting stories. he tells the pyramid guy that he hasn’t decided whether or not to run for president, but it’s obvious he has.

part 1 is boring. skip it. part 2 is all about politics and what ze will do if elected president.

[35.07] ze talks about how great ruling by referendum is, saying it’s the best way to end russia’s war against ukraine. ze’s plan to end the war is for a ukrainian delegation to go to moscow and make a list of what the kremlin wants. ukraine then makes a list of what it wants.

“somewhere in the middle we would agree,” ze says. the somewhere (compromise list) would be put to a referendum vote in ukraine.

[ze’s plan is not a terribly bright one. democracy flourishes when governments protect the smallest minority against the majority, in countries where individual rights — not society at large, not the ‘greater good,’ or the world as a whole — are paramount. ruling elites should probably have a bigger say]

[38.38] about participating televised debates between presidential candidates. ze says he doesn’t think it will be possible to have a dialogue with poroshenko in a presidential debate. “it will be his long monologue and my response,” ze says, adding he will react if insulted.

[42.44] ze expresses admiration for ex georgia president mikheil saakashvili and his “ends justify the means” approach to running things.

[45.22] ze says, if elected president, he’ll chat up ukraine’s oligarchs on day number one of his presidency about amnesty of capital.

[49.32] ze says he speaks with a supernatural entity (“god” is the word he uses) and that these conversations are too intimate to divulge publicly.

part 3 of the chit chat is not very interesting.

[09.48] talks about his wonderful releationship with ukrainian businessman ihor kolomoisky, who doesn’t pay his debts on time ;-)