My reaction to Lex Fridman's Zelensky interview

Vlad's main channel

Support Vlad's work on Patreon!

Support Vlad via PayPal
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:32 Choosing language
08:30 Ukrainian nationalisms
12:50 Interview style
14:15 First days of war
16:10 Negotiations
19:00 Lex Fridman's Russian
20:50 NATO & security guarantees
23:41 Brutality
24:56 Putin
26:07 Controversy
27:58 Conclusion

[VladVexlerChat]

Vlad's main channel

Support Vlad's work on Patreon!

Support Vlad via PayPal

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:32 Choosing language
08:30 Ukrainian nationalisms
12:50 Interview style
14:15 First days of war
16:10 Negotiations
19:00 Lex Fridman's Russian
20:50 NATO & security guarantees
23:41 Brutality
24:56 Putin
26:07 Controversy
27:58 Conclusion

[VladVexlerChat]

The flaw with Lex Fridman’s aspiration to reconcile Putin and Zelensky is the assumption that Putin is motivated by positive values, such as justice and love of country. Putin’s invasion may be brutal, but it is just “love of country gone wrong”. In reality, Putin is largely driven by negative values, like power and destructiveness.

[resrussia]

Mr. Zelensky's choice of using a combination of English, Russian, and Ukrainian is a master stroke. He communicates that the Ukrainian government is moderate, while the Russian government is inflexible and extreme. Indeed, in some sense, he demonstrates that Ukraine is a cosmopolitan nation like most Western countries and unlike Russia. He shows strength through vulnerability.

[fgadenz]

At first i felt that having this interview would be a waste of time for Zelensky… but I forgot his outstanding communication and political skills (shame on me). He nailed it!

[michel-jeantailleur]

A quick skim of the comments under the Fridman video was actually quite heartening. I expected some Maga-ing, but most were in praise of Zelensky, in support of Ukraine and in complaint about the host's naive questioning.

[axl]

Thank you so much, Vlad. You saved 3 hours of my life.

[edmurth]

Hi Vlad, I landed pretty hard when Lex stated that Putin loves Russia and the Russian people.

[Huvpalto]

At first I was irritated by the sheer stupidity of Lex’s comments and questions and points.
It literally is exactly as if an adult was explaining harsh realities of life to a toddler who keeps asking “can’t everyone just be friends?”
But then it struck me: this is exactly what Ukraine needs. A lot if people in the west (particularly Americans, no offence) who don’t follow this war or are not aware of the historical and geopolitical context, or simply don’t care much; genuinely think these things. That this war is between somewhat equal powers not able to find a compromise. So if only we could listen to both sides and find common ground then it would be peace. It’s a noble thought but entirely inappropriate in the context of ONE COUNTRY INVADING, OCCUPYING, TERRORISING, LOOTING, TORTURING RAPING KILLING AND DESTROYING another, and another country is defending itself and doesn’t want those things to happen.

The naivity of Lex allowed Zelenskyy to address this line of thinking in a polite way and genuinely respond to it. So now maybe many people who thought these things not out of stupidity but out of not being aware of the context or not caring, will hopefully see the reality.

In that sense this is a great interview, that serves as a perfect PR boost to both Zelenskyy and Ukraine in general.

[_amalfitano]

I like this format; thanks for the analysis.

Sorry your health was so bad on Sunday, hope you are in calmer waters soon.

[subtlefeatures]

Comment taken from reddit - In an alternative timeline, Lex interviews Churchill in 1940 asking questions like:

"Do you really think Hitler is evil? He loves the German people" "Why can't you go in a room with Hitler and make peace? Just give him Poland, Im sure he will stop then" "Why aren't you speaking German? It's a beautiful language"

[hififlipper]

I got a few hundred likes for thanking Mr. Zelensky to have the patience to talk to a child.

[msmaryna]

My conclusion is that Zelensky is a master communicator and incredibly savvy about human behavior. Lex sounded like a wide-eyed school child with zero real world experience. I laughed when Zelensky told Lex his Russian wasn’t very good. Overall, a big win for 🇺🇦.

[nategreen]

Lex needs to get out of his echo chamber bubble with the likes of Rogan and others who keep repeating the line "just negotiate with Putin bro" as if that thought has never occurred to Zelensky before. Lex is supposed to be a smart guy but my mind was completely blown by how DUMB he is on this topic.

[johngregor]

Lex isn't naive; he's banal. He picked a side ages ago. He believes in "Great Men" whether that's Rogan, Peterson, Zuck, Musk, Saylor, Putin, Trump, etc. He will not call them out. He will not acknowledge wrongdoing. He will not acknowledge evil. But he's always there to run interference for them with the "why can't we love" and "why can't there be a middle" language. He seems just completely empty at his core and to have decided that greatness is more important than goodness.

[Wallyworld]

About 2 hours into the conversation Zelensky told Lex that you don't speak Russian very good at all. LMAO this destroys Lex reasoning for having the conversation in Russian if Zelensky speak better English than he does Russian.

[joshhastieYT]

Interesting synopsis. I watched the full 3 hours earlier today. Really unsure how Zelenskyy was abke to sit there with the constant false equivalency of Fridman and his openly apologist view of Putin. I think Zelenskyy pushed back really well and has opened the eyes of the western audience of this podcast.

[Lorenz]

Friedman came across extremely naive. A child.
Zelensky came across patient and intelligent. A mature adult.

[andibpunkt-oc]

Lex is so naive; it felt like an adult trying to educate a child. If Putin genuinely cared for his people, he wouldn't send hundreds of thousands to their deaths on the battlefield. Instead, he would focus on improving their living conditions: increasing the average life expectancy, which is currently just 67 years, ensuring the 19% of households without indoor plumbing gain access to it, and providing pensioners with enough support to live with dignity. (Edit:I strongly recommend the channel VASYA IN THE HAY. It provides a stark and grim look at life in Russia outside the big cities.)

[gabrieleliesenfeld]

I watched the whole interview and Zelenskyy was admirable. And very patient with the infantile questions that Lex asked. It was very smart of him to express his trust in Trump and I also liked what he said about apoligies and reparations that are required to establish relations in the future. He was right to compare Russia to Germany.

[splattbinat]

I can't believe i once liked Lex... I feel stupid now