Zelensky told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an exclusive interview with the president’s office in Kyiv on Friday that Putin could turn to nuclear or chemical weapons because he did not value the lives of Ukraine’s people.
“Not just me – the whole world, all countries have to worry because it may not be real information, but it may be true,” Zelensky said, switching to English to emphasize his point of view.
“Chemical weapons, they have to do it, they can do it, for them people’s lives, nothing. That’s why, “Zelenski said. “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.”
In a wide-ranging interview, Zelensky spoke of the sinking of a Russian ship, the casualties the military took, and the emotional damage the war had on him and his people.
Zelensky remained in Ukraine throughout the 50-day war with Russia, as Ukrainian forces opposed the Kremlin’s attempts to take Kyiv and forced Russia to redirect its military efforts to the country’s eastern and southern regions, where Ukraine expects a significant escalation of fighting. the coming days. At the same time, Russia is launching cruise missiles on the outskirts of Kyiv and still retains the ability to target the Ukrainian capital with long-range weapons.
U.S. officials have warned of the possibility that Putin, if wrapped up in a corner, could turn to the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. CIA Director Bill Burns said on Thursday that the CIA was “very closely” monitoring the possibility, while stressing that the United States had not yet seen any signs that Russia was preparing to take such a step.
“Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the military failures they have faced so far, none of us can take lightly the threat of a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or small arms weapons. extraction, “he said in a public statement at Georgia Tech.
One of Russia’s most important warships sank in the Black Sea this week, which Ukraine said was the result of a missile strike, while Russia said it was due to a fire caused by munitions detonation.
A senior U.S. defense official said on Friday that two Ukrainian Neptune missiles had hit Moscow, and a U.S. official said the strike and the subsequent sinking of the ship were the result of a Ukrainian missile. 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. It is important.”
Zelensky said Ukrainian authorities estimate that between 2,500 and 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers died in the war, comparing the figure to what he said was the death toll from 19,000 to 20,000 (Russia has recognized 1,351 military casualties). Zelensky added that there are about 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers who have been wounded and that it is “difficult to say how many will survive.”
Civilian casualties are more difficult to quantify, he said.
“It is very difficult to talk about civilians, because in the south of our country, where the cities are blocked – Kherson, Berdyansk, Mariupol in the east and the region in the east, where Volnovakha is – we just do not know. how many people have died in this blocked area, “Zelenski said.
Asked about horrific videos released this week showing death and devastation in his country, including a Ukrainian woman finding her son’s body in a well, Zelensky said: “This is a great pain for me.”
“I can’t look at him as a father just because all you want after that is to get revenge and kill,” he said. “I have to look at it as president of a state where many people have died and lost loved ones and there are millions of people who want to live.
“We all want to fight,” he continued. “But we must all do our best not to end this war indefinitely. The longer it is, the more we will lose. All these losses will be just like this one.”
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