"Hello Mikheil Nikolaevich, this is Volodya Zelenski" | Mikheil Saakashvili recalls first contact after Zelensky's presidency

"Hello, Mikhail Nikolaevich, this is Volodya Zelensky," Mikheil Saakashvili recalls the first interaction after Zelensky's presidency. 

On 19 May 2019, the second morning after the inauguration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, I was woken up by a call from a Ukrainian phone number in my hotel room in Warsaw.

I had watched various channels late the day before and in general had been in the best mood in recent days because of Poroshenko's defeat. During his downfall, in 2016-2018, I also played a big role in bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the streets of Ukrainian cities to protest against Poroshenko and his corrupt regime.

I closed my eyes at around 4am and at 7am in Warsaw, and at 8am in Kiev, a familiar voice came over the line - "Hello, Mikhail Nikolayevich, this is Volodya Zelensky". Suddenly I woke up with my whole body and climbed out from the blanket.

"Yes, Mister President."

"I would like to inform you that one of my first decisions for you is to restore your Ukrainian citizenship. So, we are waiting for you in Kyiv,'' Zelensky told me.

Thanking him, I told him - " Volodymyr Aleksandrovych, remember, soon you will be the leader not only of Ukraine but of the whole region."

"Eh, if only I could solve the problems of Ukraine, let alone the region," was his reply and bade farewell.

A few days later he was asked at a conference why he reinstated my citizenship. "Because it was the right thing to do," he replied," Mikheil Saakashvili wrote.