Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN over the weekend. If you’re just joining us, here are the basics you need to know: (CNN)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN over the weekend. If you just join us, here are the main conclusions:
Ukraine does not want to give up its eastern territory: Zelensky said he would not give up the eastern part of the country to end the war with Russia, and the Ukrainian military is ready to fight with the Moscow military in the Donbass region in a battle that he believes could affect the course of the whole war.
Ukraine has no guarantee that Russia will not try to retake Kyiv if it succeeds in capturing Donbass, he continued. “That is why it is very important for us not to allow them to defend their positions, because this battle … it can affect the course of the whole war,” Zelenski said.
“Because I do not trust the Russian military and the Russian leadership,” he added. “Therefore, we understand that the fact that we fought with them and they left, and they fled from Kyiv – from the north, from Chernigov and from this direction – does not mean that they can take Donbass, they will not come further to Kyiv.
Zelensky’s interview with CNN, more than seven weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine, comes as the Ukrainian military succeeds in countering the Russian offensive, which came as a surprise to US intelligence – and the Kremlin, which planned a quick and decisive victory.
Asked by Tapper if Ukraine would win the conflict, Zelensky said: “Yes, of course it will.”
What happened to the Russian warship Moscow: A senior US defense official said on Friday that two Ukrainian Neptune missiles had hit Moscow, and a US official said the strike and the subsequent sinking of the ship were the result of a Ukrainian rocket. However, Zelensky was shy about whether Ukraine had played a role.
“We know it doesn’t exist anymore. For us, this is a powerful weapon against our country, so its sinking is not a tragedy for us. I want you, the rest of the people, to realize that. The fewer weapons the Russian Federation that attacked our country, the better for us. The less capable they are. That’s important, “he told CNN.
Zelensky warns that Russia may use nuclear or chemical weapons: “All countries should be concerned because this may not be true information, but it may be true,” Zelensky said, switching to English to emphasize his point of view. “We have to think that we are not afraid, we are not afraid, we are ready. But this is not a question of Ukraine, not only of Ukraine, but of the whole world, I think.”
More help is needed: Zelensky said the additional $ 800 million in funding Biden approved last week to go to Ukraine for new and more modern weapons was useful – but more is still needed. “Of course we need more. But I am happy that he is helping us now, “Zelenski said. “I feel we are having a cleaner dialogue right now. It was a dialogue that had some twists and turns. And not just to talk. It was very, very difficult because there are not many countries that have really helped us. ”
Zelensky said the most important factor is the speed of obtaining the necessary weapons in the hands of Ukrainian forces. He dismissed some concerns that the United States and other countries have expressed that Ukrainian troops are not trained to use some of the weapons the country wants.
Zelenski spoke about the horrors of the war: “Look what happened in Bucha. It is clear that this is not even a war, this is genocide. They were just killing people. Not soldiers, people. They just shot people in the streets. People rode bicycles, took the bus or just walked down the street. There were corpses in the streets, “the president said.
Asked about a video released earlier this month showing a Ukrainian woman finding her son’s body in a well, Zelensky said: “This is the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
He became emotional when he spoke of the deaths caused by the war in Ukraine, saying it was “a great pain for me” to see the lives lost. Zelensky, who lost his family in the Holocaust, was asked what he thought about politicians around the world saying “never again” on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, given what is happening in his country.
“I don’t believe in the world,” he said, speaking in English. “We do not believe in words. After the escalation of Russia, we do not believe in our neighbors. We do not believe in all this.”
“The only faith is faith in ourselves, in our people, faith in our armed forces and faith that the countries will support us not only with their words but also with their actions,” Zelensky continued in Ukrainian. “And that’s all. Never again. Indeed, everyone is talking about it, and yet, as you can see, not everyone has the courage.”
Read more from the interview here.
Devan Cole of CNN contributed to this report.
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