Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expressing that he believes it is hard for the U.S. to be viewed as a “symbol of democracy” after the riot that broke out at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 amid tension over the 2020 presidential election.
“We were very shocked, I was very surprised,” Zelensky said during an interview for “Axios on HBO” about the U.S. Capitol riot. “I could not imagine that something like this was possible in the United States of America.”
He added, “I believe this was a strong blow to democracy of the United States.”
“We are used to believing that the United States has the ideal democratic institutions, where power is transferred calmly. […] In Ukraine, we lived through two revolutions, we sought it. We understood such things can happen in the world.
But that it could happen in the United States? No one expected that, and this says that not everything is ideal. […] I was very worried. I did not want you to have a coup.”
“After something like this, I believe it would be very difficult for the world to see the United States as a symbol of democracy in the world,” Zelensky said.
Watch Zelensky’s interview below:
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell in which he was asked about U.S. adversaries using the U.S. Capitol riot as propaganda against the U.S.
Countries like China, Iran, and Russia have used the riot as evidence the U.S. government system is “fundamentally flawed and riddled with hypocrisy,” as NBC News reports.
“The attack on our own democracy on January 6 creates an even greater challenge for us to be carrying the banner of democracy and freedom and human rights,” Blinken said. “When we are challenged, including when we challenge ourselves, we’re doing it in full daylight with full transparency.”