President Zelenskyy: It's Time To Tell You The Truth About The War! They Found 500 Bodies!

President Zelensky, how are you doing? >> Well, it's hard. Uh, I'll be honest. I uh, don't sleep. It's a huge, terrifying pain that I wouldn't wish on anyone. >> I can see the tears in your eyes. >> Yeah. The war started February 24th of '22. I didn't think there would be a full-scale invasion. I was with was with my family, told my wife that to the kids, "The war has started. I love you. I'll call you." And ran out. >> Satellite imagery captured a massive 64-km

convoy leading to Kyiv. >> And just imagine, 200,000 people are coming at you. It's simply impossible to defend. >> Missiles were raining down on your head. >> Those were absolutely horrifying moments. And I was in the bunker built right inside my office. Biden called me, "We are ready to help you evacuate." >> What did you say to Biden? >> I need ammunition. Not a ride. They expected people to run and me, I couldn't abandon the people. And then people showed up as volunteers, and our army

grew from 200,000 to an army of 800,000. Day after day, we pushed back harder. >> What what was your hardest day through the last 4 years? >> We liberated Bucha. I went there. Dead bodies lying everywhere. Kids, adults, elderly people, chopped meat. Butchered them. Hands tied, tortured. [music] And then buried in in in pits. When you see a mass [music] today finding a grave in the US or in Britain, God forbid, with 500 tortured people, how do you [music] forgive? And that's why when President Trump

says we need to find a compromise, well, [music] you can't just forgive everything like that. >> Is there a realistic path [music] to the end of this war. >> [singing] >> President Zelenskyy, sometimes the question I'm about to ask you, we answer it flippantly when people ask, but I really want you to answer it in the fullest honest context you possibly can. How are you doing? >> Well, it's hard. Uh hard because >> [clears throat] >> it's like I'm surviving along with my country and with

the people and it's like really uh question like will tomorrow come or not? And the answer to that is yes, it will. You can't answer it any other way because I am that means my family, my relatives, uh my country, I'm an inseparable part of it. And so, how do I feel? Hard, but with understanding the difficult reality with optimism because I still believe good wins. I believe in that. Truly. >> Is it a bit of a roller coaster on a human level for you? Are

there there days where there's more hope and days where there's less hope? >> You can't live without hope. I understand sometimes inside, you know, you can be shattered inside, especially during wartime especially mm families who, you know, lose some someone close in the in their family, um a child, God forbid, or uh a wife, a husband, a mother, that is it's just an internal uh breakdown. It's very hard. And it's much harder for them, I believe. Just so much harder than uh uh than it is

for me with all these challenges. >> The weight of all of this sits often on your shoulders. And when someone does lose a child or a loved one or a or a wife or a sister or a daughter, I imagine, as I've seen from you know some of these photos I have here of you, I mean this photo in particular stands out to me. >> Oh, that's a terrible story. It's just a terrible story. That was uh that's when a missile hit a playground. And the

missile speed was such that the siren didn't help at all. So, it was a matter of seconds. And the missile struck and children were killed. And both children were killed there. Mostly and adults, just adults right there. A couple I remember they were just out walking passing by. And because they were walking by and and and were killed. Parents, you know, like right on this on this side there are homes too. And parents there they some of them saw through the window. Do you understand what

it's like to see through a window one of your children just torn apart. And toys just such a during such a tragedy it's a tradition to bring flowers for adults and toys for children. I went there. It's pain. I'll say it again. My pain can't even it's not even 10% of the parents' pain. It's terrifying. Just terrifying. A missile that cut short the life of a child who had seen nothing yet. Imagine. By the way, and there are children, a lot of them, among the fallen

as well, who never lived in peace. I mean, we we lived in in in a different time. We understand what it's like to live when there are no sirens, no shelling, and so on. But, there are kids uh every night they go down to the bomb shelter when the alarm goes off, and the alarm goes off every night. Then, they come back up, and some of them have died. And just imagine, there are children who never knew what peace was. That's horrifying. Absolutely. >> You said

at the start of this invasion, this war, that you weren't sleeping. You said early in this invasion, you said you've not earned the right to sleep. And I'm really curious about the sort of human toll that all of this has taken on you over the last four or five years, because it it never stops. It never ends. And you you are a human being just like all the rest of us. You have a family, you have kids. But, you have the the burden of this kind

of horrific incident taking place in your country at all the all the time. What is what is the sort of human burden there? And are you sleeping? >> Uh I'll be honest. I uh don't sleep. I I'm a responsible person. I have different traits, good ones, not so good ones, like every person. Nobody's perfect. Yeah, and every night I speak with our air defense operators, with our guys who run the air defense. Every night we talk. Well, yeah, thanks to modern technology. It's very easy, and

we text back and forth, what's needed right now, let's pull some over from another region. So, it's an active discussion, which obviously, well, doesn't let you sleep. Yeah, you know, getting 8 hours of sleep like that is something something totally new to me during these uh years, almost 5 years of war. I'm not complaining. I'm not complaining at all, and that's how I live. Uh The burden, the strongest emotion, I once answered this honestly. There's a moment when I present awards. And there's this moment when

I award and personally the Hero of Ukraine, it's the highest honor. When I present this award to parents who lost a child, yeah, a boy or a girl soldiers. That feeling you know, well, how I cease to exist in that moment. I'm just well, it's not it's not pain, it's something terrible. I look at these people at their eyes, at what they say. Many of them say something and and there are people who just ask for a hug. Imagine you give an award to a father

whose very strong hand you can feel. He's, you know, a strong man. You feel his strong hand and he just quietly says to you, "Can we hug?" So, they, well, you know, they're gone. Gone as people anymore. Well, for a time, then strong people try to survive. And these moments on the one on the one hand, I respect them. I do it, but on the other hand, it's hard to bear. I I understand them and it's a huge terrifying pain that I wouldn't wish on anyone.

What these parents feel having lost a child, a soldier. These parents didn't lose a child on a playground. They lost a soldier. They knew that could happen. But knowing and losing are completely different things. >> I can see the tears in your eyes as you describe this. >> I'm a human being. I'm not ashamed to be who I am. I'm not the strongest man in the world. I try to set an example, but I'm definitely not a perfect person. Yeah. >> Is there anything that you

do cuz this is a this is a lot to deal with, you know, I I hear you recounting the stories of dealing with these parents. Is there anything that you you do to take care of yourself? What is it that keeps you strong? >> My kids. My kids. I I just you know, I have to be an example. I told myself, maybe I don't have to, but that's what I told myself. I have to set an example for my kids. This is the way, that is

not, and you have to set an example, be strong, be as brave as possible, but don't don't hide the pain. If you have it, you shouldn't say it. I don't feel anything because human beings by nature, they're alive, and that's their weakness, but it's also where a person's strength lies. That really is where our strength is, and so my kids keep me grounded, very much so. I want to set an example. I want them to be proud of me. >> We'll talk about that later, but

there's um there's one big outstanding question, which is who is President Zelenskyy? And I've been through hundreds and hundreds of photos and stories from your childhood. I've got some some wonderful photos here of your earliest uh >> Yeah. >> days, and >> Yeah. >> And this is a beautiful one of your wonderful mother as well. >> That's my mom. Yeah. Mom was very beautiful. Well, she still is, but she's gotten older. >> Can you take me into your earliest contacts just so I can get a

sort of a a view of what childhood was like for you? What's the context in which you grew up in really I'm I want to understand how that context and early experience fed into the man you are today, the perspective you have, the values that you cherish. >> I'm from the generation that um straddled uh two uh let's say two different lives. Meaning I was born in the Soviet Union when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union and I grew up in an independent Ukraine. And

I've always said that my kids they're lucky because they were born in an independent country without all these, you know, shades of gray. This is gray, that's something else. No, it's black and white, totally clear. They're patriots. They love their country and their country is Ukraine. While we were born in the Soviet Union and, you know, we we were kids from a fairly let's say not I don't want to offend anyone so my dad doesn't get upset. Well, from a regular very ordinary family, not not

very well-off, let's put it that way. Yeah, let's put it that way. Well, that's and I think it's totally clear from the photos. Okay, I was born in Kryvyi Rih. An academic family in Soviet-era Ukraine wasn't um not not like, you know, in Europe or in the United States, an academic family with everything provided. Usually our academics didn't make a lot uh of money, but again, I'm I'm not complaining. I respect my father, an honest man, a professor. Well, values. Again and again I got an

education and I got raised right and my parents love I think those three things are enough to be grateful to your parents. I'm not sure people find this interesting, so let's move on. >> [laughter] >> Um when you were a young boy in this photos, when you're under the age of 10, had I asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, what what would you have answered? >> Because and to be honest, I change like the wind. Honestly, there was a time when

I really wanted to be a diplomat, wanted to be a border guard. Yeah, and then I went to law school, graduated from law faculty, and while studying I realized that I was more interested in media. So, I got out and started working that exact field. >> I mean, at 17 years old, you became interested in comedy. >> Yeah. >> And you joined a comedy group. And you from what I read, you you did that up until the age of about 26 years old. So, you were

a comedian up until the age of 26 years old before starting a media company. >> I Yeah, but I was more I enjoyed I was a scriptwriter. And so, sometimes as a writer, I also did um a little acting. I I enjoyed it. Yeah, until I was 26 and then then um at 26 I got my own company. >> There's some interesting stats I found. Uh 28 years old, you won Ukraine's Dancing with the Stars. >> Yeah. >> [laughter] >> Yeah. >> So, you can dance?

>> I think yeah. >> [laughter] >> I'm not sure I did now I can. >> And later you voiced Paddington Bear in the Ukrainian language film. >> Yeah. I really really loved I think Paddington is a very cool thing. Really right and for the people. I'm not sure all of it is just for kids, to be honest, but nonetheless that character resonated deeply with me. And I I even after I became president the next Paddington installment was coming out. And all this was before the war.

And they were sending me signals, "Would you consider voicing another Paddington movie?" I said, "Well, I'd really love to, but I didn't." Yeah. >> [laughter] >> Nice. Um and then between 34 years old and 37 years old, you appeared in a bunch of different feature films. And most interestingly, you starred as one particular character, a school teacher, who accidentally becomes president in a satirical TV series called Servant of >> of the people. >> the people. I think I have a photo. >> Yeah. Teacher of the

people story. >> You've got to explain the context here, because people can't believe that this is true. They can't believe that you actually acted as an actor who accidentally becomes president. And you must find this bizarre that you then became president, because presumably at that time you weren't expecting to become president when you became an actor pretending to be president. >> Absolutely. I definitely didn't expect it. Absolutely. And this idea this this idea was about 10 to 12 years old. Once this idea came to me

and I thought about it. I lived with this idea for a long time. I loved doing that. And at some point the feeling was that um the world is changing, Ukraine is changing, and right now this idea is relevant. It will resonate and people will like it. >> What was the idea? When you say the idea? >> The person from the people without any uh history, without any political background, becomes president. And that's how it turned out. To be honest. >> So you were playing a

character in a TV series called Servant of the People and the character was pretending to be the president and you and you realized that actually the idea of there being a sort of servant of the people party or president was probably quite a good idea based on what was going on in Ukraine at that time and because of the government instability at the time you actually registered Servant of the People as a real political party in Ukraine. >> Ah, well, that sounds basically like a pretty

good uh script. Yeah, but it wasn't honestly calculated like that. Um the series was very popular. In parallel there were a few other projects. We had a political satire project. Uh it was very popular. It was even before that series. So I already had my bearings in politics anyway. The point was that indeed um I decided to try my hand in this direction. I really wanted after the occupation of Crimea, after the occupation of Donbas, this whole situation changed us and you and and you started

to feel like something something was going wrong here. And [clears throat] it's war, but there still wasn't wasn't that feeling yet because it wasn't a full-scale war. And so I didn't want to We were doing business with Belarus and with Kazakhstan and with Russia as well. We had offices and projects that we were filming and so on. So uh life changed. I I won't wanted to drop it all and this this sense of betrayal by Russia. Well, all of that happened and that's why and you

chant chant this whole period changed you as well. And so it's not like it was some calculated plan, the TV show comes out and then a political party. I know about that. I know about that. Some people might think that. And that's fine, that's normal. People have their own opinions, that's normal. It coincided. The mood in society coincided with my inner mood and with my determination and desire. So, it's a coincidence of many things. >> There should be a button just down below here. And if

it says subscribe, you're already subscribed. If it says subscribe but, that means you're not yet. And if you're not subscribed, please could you do us a favor and hit that button. It helps to show more than you know. And according to the algorithm, you're someone that watches our show, but you haven't yet hit that button. Thank you so much. So, you you talked about how it was really sort of a a change in the climate in Ukraine that caused you to move closer to politics because

everything that was going on at the time, Russia invaded Crimea here in 2014. Yeah. Um they annexed Crimea. And this is And this And so 4 years after this point, you announce that you're going to run for president. Is this really when the war began in your view? Because there's been lots of people that have posited when the war began. Some people say the war began a thousand years ago. And they talk about the old Crimea and the everything that took took place there with the

Rus. Um some people say it began in 2014. And some people say it began in 2022. In your mind, when did the war begin? I think for many people, that time really is different. But if we take take the new Ukraine that regained its independence in 1991 in the 20th century, then I think that in 2014 all of us just couldn't believe it that this kind of occupation was happening. The war really started with the occupation of Crimea. That's true. It's just that it was slow

that occupation. It didn't look much like a war. Why? Well, because Ukraine wasn't fighting back at that point. Meaning when they occupied Crimea, there were shots fired there, of course, but for a very long time Russia wouldn't admit these were its people. They looked like regular people. They even called them little green men. That's what they called them because you couldn't tell what that uniform was. Meaning these are people carrying some kind of weapons on the peninsula. And the problem was that there were no clear

orders from the Ukrainian authorities that you need to defend your land, that someone violated your borders with with weapons, and is seizing seizing gradually seizing Crimea. So, it was really that kind of creeping occupation. Looking at that time today, not back in 2014, not in 2015, but today, you realize that that's when the war really began. Our mistake was not pushing them back. And of course, if there have been an order an order to defend the country, I'm sure that I think a full-scale war in

the form it ha- it has today wouldn't have happened. Well, at least that's how it seems to me. >> Um I I read that your your great-grandfather and his grandfather's four brothers were killed by the Nazis, and his grandfather was the only brother to survive the war. And I wondered how that experience of having that in your family tree has changed how you think about this moment in time when you're facing a war with Russia? >> My grandfather went through World War II from start to

finish. My grandfather, my father's dad, and he was, yeah, from a family where there were several brothers and all of them were killed by the Nazis. I have very few relatives in general on both sides of my family, on my father's and my mother's, many relatives were killed by the fascists. And that's all That's why it always sounded so bizarre when Russia accused us, Ukraine, of supposedly having Nazis. It's bizarre and completely wild. If people all knew even a little bit of history, they would realize

that fascists in Ukraine fascism as such doesn't exist. Why? Because you Ukraine understands deep in its roots what it means to be under the fascists. Because during World War II, Ukraine was occupied 100% completely completely totally. Whereas Russia, Ukraine, Belarus was occupied, Ukraine, and Nazi Germany, it lost a huge number of its soldiers who died specifically in Belarus, Ukraine, because we all well, because our countries or our lands they stood and fought. Russia was not occupied. And that is also very important to understand. That's why

all of our people in Ukraine saw it, well, you know, as barbaric and an outrage when Putin attacked us and said we have fascism and he's liberating Ukraine from fascists. I mean, it's absurd. We fought against the fascists. We were the ones liberating. >> A lot of people don't have the historical context on how this all began. If if I was a 16-year-old and I had no understanding of geopolitics and I asked you, President, and I said, "Could you explain to me the background context that

I need to understand to understand what the hell is going on at the moment? What what why why are Russia going into Crimea? What is Vladimir Putin's perspective? Why does he think that that's okay? Why does he think that he can invade Ukraine? What is the historical context explained in the simplest terms to a 16-year-old about what the hell is going on here? And I'm going to give you all the time in the world to inform me." >> There was an empire called the Soviet Union.

And that empire, it included a large number of what are now independent states. It's always like that with empires. Without getting into the historical context, everyone will understand this. It's always like that with empires. Empires exist for a while, and then they collapse. Because you can only hold everything together through autocracy, a territory like that, so many people, through tyranny, through feudalism, through slavery, through certainly not through freedom. Empires don't survive on freedom. And this is very important. Why do empires fall apart? Because people want

to be free. Because people compare their lives in an empire with life in other countries, even small ones. They see how things develop there, they see how things develop there, how they live, walk freely, choose any partner they want, whatever hair color you like, music, clothes, and so on. Well, the Soviet Union, these empires, like everyone always said, the iron curtain. Why an iron curtain? So you wouldn't see what's out there in the west, in Europe, in the United States of America, in Britain, or anywhere

in Asia. So, people couldn't see. In terms of information, an empire is hold, control everything, right? So, a complete information vacuum. There, you don't exist. Nothing exists. No internet, nothing. Television that you run and control, and people get the information. People live like fish in a fish tank. That's all it is. The fish tank can be massive like the Soviet Union, but it's still a fish tank. North Korea is a smaller fish tank, but it's a fish tank. And that's what happened with the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union fell apart. Countries were happy. Countries became independent, smaller. Ukraine is one of those countries. And when identity emerges, you have your own language, your own music, your own clothes, and so on. What exists all around the world? It's great. Tourism. You travel to Asia. You travel to Thailand. You travel to Japan. You travel to the United States. Different culture, different music, food, people, and everyone lives freely. And it's really cool to soak in another culture. That's the diversity. Why does an empire fall

apart? Because it's made up of these kinds of people, nations that want to have their own thing. The Soviet Union fell apart, but nostalgia for the Soviet Union stayed with people. Putin was the president of Russia, and he set a goal for himself, and he's a purely Soviet man. A very Soviet man. He was an intelligent an intelligence officer. He He worked in the KGB in the KGB in Germany, and so on. He said, and this is his very famous phrase, that the greatest collapse of

the 20th century in the world was the fall of the Soviet Union. And all of that shows that Russia just wasn't enough for him, and he had the ambition to go back to that, to bring back the empire, to bring back the Soviet Union, because he believes that another major country is to blame for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Which one? The United States of America. Because this has always been a geopolitical war. They're enemies. The Soviet Union and the and the United States of

America, they were allies during World War II. And after that, you know, they're enemies, the Cold War and so on. So, it's very simple. Putin wanted to bring back the Soviet Union. And what is the Soviet Union? It is above all Ukraine. Ukraine, it's Ukraine. Ukraine is country number two. >> Why? >> They called the Soviet Union a forge of talent. In Ukraine, there were so many people who later led, had that kind of education. Because there were many scientists, many engineers, many universities, a huge

intelligentsia. That's what they said, that for the Soviet Union, Ukraine was the forge of talent. In other words, in other words, many people who came from Ukraine, who then ran various institutions, ministries in the Soviet Union and so on. Meaning, it's the intellectual part of the Soviet Union. Ukraine was always rock the biggest rocket manufacturing was here. Nuclear weapons, which Ukraine handed over. A lot of things were made in in Ukraine. And what's the problem for Russia? If Ukraine becomes part of Europe, and without the

Soviet Union, Ukraine started taking gradual steps in the other direction. Meaning, if Ukraine becomes part of Europe, then Russia will collapse. It will fall apart. There are many different peoples, different religions, entirely and simply different nations into many different countries. And Putin decided to piece this whole empire back together. This ambition, where do you start piecing it together? He started the war in Chechnya. He occupied Chechnya. A small country that is now part of Russia. He destroyed it completely. Everything that's happening in Eastern Ukraine, it's

the very same commanders, military commanders who fought in Chechnya, who destroyed Chechnya completely. There was nothing left, no buildings, nothing. People were killed, killed. A huge number of people, by the way, were killed in Chechnya. And he occupied it. And then he decided to bring back the empire, starting with Ukraine, with a free state. One that wants to be in the European Union. One that is uh smart, intellectual. Other countries, too, but here, here's what it is. Well, and the start, there always has to be

a pretext to start an occupation. What pretext? It's always a pretext. The pretext is always language. And he starts with Crimea. He starts the occupation with Crimea. Why? In Crimea, there were a lot of Russian-speaking people, Russian-speaking Ukrainians. But, to understand this, and in Crimea, there was deportation, there was more than one deportation, uh expulsion of the Tatars. In other words, Crimea has indigenous peoples, and it's a multi-ethnic peninsula. Uh but, um Um, what happened is he started the occupation with Crimea. And And with Donbas,

with the East. Why? Because he divided society, unleashed this war based on language. Because language is always such an issue, a painful issue. And when you want to divide society, it's totally unfair. It's totally despicable toward the people. You start bringing up the language issue. So, he brought it up, said that I'm protecting Russian-speaking people, which wasn't true. Nobody took anything from anyone. Yeah, but it was just easier. The east of the country borders with the Russian Federation. >> Days before, I I think it was

the day before Vladimir Putin ordered troops to invade Ukraine, he did a statement where he said modern Ukraine was entirely and completely created by Russia. More precisely, Bolshevik Communist Russia. This process began almost immediately after the 1917 Revolution. Soviet Ukraine is the result of Bolshevik policy and can rightly be called Vladimir Lenin's Ukraine. Ukraine never had a tradition of genuine statehood. So, he's very much denying that Ukraine is a nation of its own. Why did he choose to invade February 24th? Why did he choose then

to invade? If he had invaded Crimea in 2014, why was in your view that the moment where he decided to cross the border and try and, by the looks of it, take control of the whole of Ukraine? >> Um, first of all, notice he talks about the Soviet Revolution of 1917. That's ridiculous to anyone. Your country's history can't start in 1917. In Ukraine, there are churches, everyone knows. We have very beautiful churches that are a thousand years old. Ukrainian churches, painted by Ukrainians, total master professionals,

a thousand years old. Ukraine is it's the heir to Kievan Rus. A great state that was very well known in Europe on the European continent at least with an advanced civilization. It really with with its own art, with its own traditions and so on. Russia wasn't even close to existing. Russia came after Ukraine already existed. But he cuts all that out, starts with the revolution. Why from the October Revolution of 1917? Because he's talking about the history of the Soviet Union. Not about the history of

Russia and not about the history of Ukraine. The Soviet Union. Why? Because he's signaling to people who are in Russia, who honestly, the kids, they get information in schools and they take it they don't go any deeper. He's signaling to them that their life is the Soviet Union and that's where we're heading back to. That's what he's doing. He started a full-scale war. The war started 24th 24th of 22 February 24th. Missile strikes were launched immediately from the territory. It was flying from every every side.

Troops were also entering from the territory of Belarus right? From here because it's the closest route to the capital. They were advancing on Kyiv and also came from all directions. They The main goal was to seize the capital of Ukraine. That was their main goal. Naturally, they were counting on the tough guys who were both Russian and the separatists already in the occupied in the occupied territory of Donbas. >> Why why in February 2022? Why not later? Why not sooner? Why was that the moment? What

had happened that you know cuz I I part of the reason I ask this question is because President Donald Trump often blames Joe Biden for being weak and that giving Vladimir Putin an opportunity to invade because he didn't respect President Biden. That's what's claimed. Is there truth in that? >> I'll explain. I think that it was a little bit earlier. In 21 there was a summit. I don't remember when anymore. I think I don't remember. There was a Biden-Putin summit. Remember that famous summit? We didn't

have all the details. They came out and started talking about something publicly and so on. Then rumors started that they discussed the issue of a possible escalation against Ukraine. And we kept bringing up this issue over the next few months. We kept bringing it up with the Americans. And this could really happen. And they were saying, "Well, it could happen." We asked them then, "Please give us what we need to defend ourselves if there are such risks that some kind of occupation could start." We couldn't

imagine though that full-scale invasion would start because we saw what Russian occupation looked like with Crimea and with Donetsk and Luhansk oblast. So, you imagined it differently. You couldn't imagine that overnight missiles would just start flying. Nobody had ever seen anything like that. Why were kids screaming? Why were people fleeing? Why was there absolute chaos? Those were horror absolutely horrifying moments because missiles are literally flying at you. Nowadays, a thousand drones fly in and we shoot them down. We fight. But back then, right around 4:00

in the morning, missiles were raining down on your head. Everyone was in shock. So, he did it in February because that's what he wanted to do. That was his his plan. I think he told Biden a whole lot of things. I remember, unfortunately, I think unfortunately, President Biden stepped in later. Um in in the first minutes or days of the war, I I had a call with him back then when he offered to evacuate me. Back Back then, a lot of people offered me help. I

said, "Give us weapons. Help us defend the country." And I think they realized that it's impossible to occupy us. That's what I think think happened. I think that um uh the United States back then, um I don't know, maybe they did consider that it could turn out that uh there'd be a conflict and we might be occupied, but nobody counted on us holding out for sure. I remember that uh I think a day before, God, that was so long ago. I've forgotten so much already. A

day before the invasion, the Europeans who knew less than the Americans, they were talking with Putin. And Putin promised them there wouldn't be an invasion. Oh, he lied to all of them back then. Just He knew there would be an invasion. He knew everything. >> When did you first get a phone call telling you that Russia were planning to invade Ukraine? How many days before it happened did you get that call? And who was [clears throat] the the call from? >> It It was never direct,

like Russia plans an invasion on such and such day, and there will be a full-scale war like this and that. It was never like that. These were very cautious diplomatic signals and so on. And this uh how can I put it? We kept bringing up this issue. Why? Because people were worried. And people were worried. That affected the economy and affected the currency and the stability of the national currency started to drop, which affected the country's economy. And we asked the Americans, "Give us a clear

signal. If you believe this is war, then give us weapons urgently. Everything you can give because well, that's what our um dialogue was like. Yeah, well, but nobody would would give anything. And I asked, "Impose sanctions." That's something everybody in Europe knew about. They knew. I asked President Biden, "Impose sanctions on Russia now, preemptively. If you know there could be an invasion, impose sanctions. We other And then he won't go in if he's really decided to." But President Biden said, "We'll impose sanctions if there's an

invasion." Post factum, not preemptive sanctions, but post factum. I'm not God to judge uh a president, but I believe that was a mistake in my view. >> Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but in October 2021, the Director of National Intelligence and CIA Director briefed US leadership and top NATO allies that Putin was making concrete plans for multi-front invasion. And European media published satellite imagery showing 100,000 Russian troops, tanks, and field hospitals that had started to emerge. And CIA Director flew to Moscow to warn Putin

directly against invading in November 2021. Then in December 2021, the [snorts] US government took the rash step of declassifying intelligent maps and troop estimates predicting an invasion force of up to 175,000 troops to prevent Russia from using a false flag operation as a pretext. And then in late January, early February 2021, the US National Security Advisor publicly warned that invasion could begin at any time urging foreign citizens to evacuate Ukraine. And then on February 24th, 2022, Russia launched the full-scale invasion. And they launched the invasion

from multiple sides. Really with the focus on Kyiv. >> Yes. >> Can you remember where you were when you realized that they had crossed multiple borders of Ukraine at the same time? I I I want to If I was a fly on the wall in whatever room you were in, wherever you were, what would I have seen? Where were you? How did you find out? >> First of all, I'd like you to know that in Belarus, the Russians were conducting drills, training. These were annual drills.

That's very important because when we talked to our partners and they uh briefed like you're saying folks from NATO and so on, nobody fully believed it. Why? Because everybody said they were just saber-rattling. Putin was intentionally trying to scare everyone. He wouldn't launch an invasion. What I just told you. European leaders called him. He said, "I won't invade." He had exercises in Belarus, military exercises. On top of that, our defense minister was invited there. To these exercises and he was there. Just so you understand. Imagine

that. He went there, came back, and so on. And then the full-scale invasion started from multiple directions. And what the Europeans said, echoing my messages, was impose sanctions and give weapons to the Ukrainians. If you know an invasion is coming, the Americans didn't do that. They didn't give them and didn't impose sanctions and that's why everyone had doubts. Everyone thought the Russians were just bluffing. Why? Because he wanted to push us into the Minsk agreements and so on so that we'd give them Donbas and recognize

Donbas as not Ukraine and also recognize Crimea as not Ukraine. That's what In other words, that was the format of pressure. But what happened happened. What did you believe? I didn't think there would be a full-scale invasion. And so on so that we'd give them Donbas and recognize as not Ukraine and also recognize Crimea as not Ukraine. That's what In other words, that was the format of pressure. But what happened happened. I didn't think there would be a full-scale invasion. I didn't think so because I

believe that if people know there's going to be a full-scale invasion, partners and so on and they don't take preemptive steps. Don't sit him down at the table. Don't tell him, "Are you out of your mind? Have you lost your [clears throat] mind to wage war in the 20th century, to kill people? You're completely unhinged." But even so, a full-scale invasion happened and just and they approached Kyiv very quickly. Like really quickly. I mean, it was just it was well, an avalanche and I was I

was with my family. And I was with my family. I got a call from the office saying that before that during the night, missiles were flying. Missiles. I got ready. Told my wife, told the kids, told them the war has started. And I went to the office. I arrived at the office. I was the first or second the second person, I think, in the office and I called everyone in and we started uh started the work day. Such a terrible work day, the first one during

the full-scale war. >> What did your wife say? >> I don't remember. I It was very fast. Everything happened so fast. I told my wife, "Wake up quickly. The war has started. I I love you. I'll call you." and ran up. >> And life is not been the same since. >> Absolutely. It's just a different life. Everything is different. Everything's different. 100%. >> When I was doing my research on that day when Russia invaded, what I couldn't believe is just the the volume of troops that

rolled across the border. I read one thing that said there was 65 km of armored vehicles and troops on one particular road as they tried to take Kyiv. Um I want to talk about that, but I I just I really want to also get an answer to this sort of outstanding question in my head, which is Trump has repeatedly said, probably 100 times now, that this never would have begun. It never would have happened if he was president. Do you believe that? >> Uh uh I

think that no nobody knows the answer, honestly. Um the fact remains that this happened during Biden's presidency. That's a fact. It's a fact that this didn't happen under Trump. A fact. But it's also a fact that Putin chose the moment for a full occupation. That's also a fact. I think Trump had a special relationship with Putin and still does. And maybe uh it really is possible that um Trump being on friendly terms with Putin could have prevented a full-scale invasion. But, one thing you have to

know for sure, neither I nor Trump, we we're not eternal in these presidential seats. And so, either way, Trump's presidency would have ended and Putin still uh wouldn't have been able to change his main goal, the occupation of Ukraine. So, I think that honestly, it doesn't matter who um the president is as long as Putin is there. >> On February the 24th, when Russia invaded Ukraine, it is reported that they sent There's different numbers, but some of the numbers go up to up 200,000 troops that

were assembled across the Ukrainian border. It varies between 150,000 and 190,000. And when I look at the total active number of troops in Ukraine at the time, it's almost the same number. So, it's almost as if Russia deployed the full size of the the number of active-duty personnel you had into Ukraine to attack Ukraine specifically to take Kyiv. Can you Can you just explain to me in simple terms how they staged that attack? You said that some troops came in from Belarus. There was uh support

that came in trying to take Kyiv as well. I think >> Uh they knew that our main forces uh our main forces were in the east of our country, Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Yes, Donetsk Luhansk region. Why were Donetsk Luhansk regions where our main units were? Look, there is Kharkiv which was also their target. Look, this whole all this all this whole part. Mariupol, which was very important to them. Donetsk, which was already occupied and so on. So, what was the bottom line? >> [sighs and

gasps] >> Because when part of it was occupied, when Donetsk was occupied, look, Makiivka, Yenakiieve, all of that was after the occupation of Crimea. Look, all of this was occupied, this entire part. >> [gasps] >> The very strong troops were stationed here. Strong both in terms of numbers and strength. And the separatists, and they were fighting against us. Meaning, you have to understand, these are people who considered Donetsk their homeland. These aren't just Russians, these are separatists. So, there were both separatists and Russians here. So,

this was their strongest grouping. And our strongest grouping was stationed right here. And that was and that and that was constantly. They were here, they were stationed right here. Why were they Why were they stationed here? Because they were holding back the strongest Russian grouping so it wouldn't break through. And nobody expected that they would go through Belarus and advance on the capital. And that's why we didn't have any strong troops here. That is an absolute fact. We simply didn't have that kind of army. The

entire Ukrainian army was Well, excuse me, it was later I changed the law to make it 200,000 plus up to 250. But before that, it was an even smaller force. And just imagine, 200,000 people are coming at you. Well, it's simply impossible to defend. You need an army like the one we have today, 800,000, which was actually the main problem for the Russians troops. When when we they couldn't take our capital. We held out and destroyed them. They couldn't they didn't have enough troops to hold

the occupied territories here. And they had to pull back. We were hitting them and they were pulling back. And that's how we fully took back Kyiv region, Chernihiv region, and that whole front. We completely restored it and pushed them out entirely. So, it's completely obvious they just didn't have enough troops. Just like at first when they pushed in, we didn't have a strong army here. We didn't have enough troops. And later the same happened to them. Naturally, when the full-scale invasion started, we uh there was

mobilization. And people there were lines. People showed up as volunteers. And our army grew from 200,000 to an army of 800,000. While the Russian presence was around By the way, the Russian presence was um around 700, probably at that moment around 700,000 across all directions on Ukrainian territory. Meaning this was a massive onslaught coming in, a massive onslaught. >> There's um in late February, satellite imagery captured a massive 64 km, which is 40 mi long, Russian military convoy >> Yeah, it was terrifying footage. Yeah, all

of that. >> backed up along a single highway leading to Kyiv. And when you see 64 km of military military vehicles and armored vehicles heading to one city, and then you hear that they failed to take that city, the question like how? >> How? >> Um They captured By the way, the Chernobyl nuclear plant where the disaster happened, all of that was occupied. That whole route was occupied. They occupied it and blockaded Kyiv. How did we People stepped up. People went to mobilize. Yes, a huge

number on the first day we we left uh left the country headed toward western Ukraine, the western part of our country. They left. But a lot of people stayed. mobilized And we we brought up our troops and started fighting them. Day after day we pushed back harder. They cut off our food, cut off our water, cut everything off completely. So that was their That was their mission. They expected people to run and me and certain people came to me and they said, "Kyiv is cut off

and Kyiv is surrounded and the Russians are suggesting you hand over your powers and and that's it." Meaning Kyiv must surrender. Uh naturally I told those people where to go. Uh let's put it that way. Uh out of my office. And then as you know uh leaders were calling offering to evacuate before all the roads were blocked. Uh to get out of Kyiv. >> Who called you and asked you if you wanted to be evacuated? And did they make you an offer to evacuate you themselves?

>> Biden. >> Joe Biden asked you if you wanted to be evacuated. >> the first. The first. >> What did he say? >> We are ready to help you evacuate because uh naturally well, the invasion Kyiv is surrounded and you we are ready to help you you and your family. Uh likewise, many Europeans offered me that later, several Europeans, uh and people uh around me as well, let's say people around me from our political circle also suggested, yeah, doing all that. >> What did you say

to Biden? >> I I need ammunition not a ride. >> Did you tell your wife and your family to leave? >> Um they all um nobody could go anywhere because that was a choice. Uh that was uh the families and there's uh uh naturally, they weren't in the office with me or the security detail took them and they went uh to to to another location, yeah. Well, because it was clear that that uh there was just shoot there was shooting right around the president's office and

it was obvious how this could all end. And they asked me to go down to the bunker. Down there I had uh it was very deep underground built right inside my office. And in that bunker, I started working. Uh that's where Biden called me. Uh all around my office was secured by snipers, various guys of ours, special services. And I was in the bunker. Uh down there I had communications and I spoke with all the leaders from there. That's where I first did a video call

with the Europeans pleading with them to unite, help Ukraine, not abandon us, and it worked. Yeah. And I continued being there, going out into the street, talking to to the people, showing myself because there were so many in those first few days, there were so so many narratives. Russia was put putting out a lot of information claiming I had fled. So basically their whole idea was for people to run, and people would run if they saw that their leader abandon them. Well, I mean, excuse me,

if the leader abandoned the capital, well, then everyone has to uh survive on their own. So that was the whole story. They wanted me to run, and for them for them that was yeah, obviously, that was their goal. >> [clears throat] >> I couldn't abandon Kyiv, the office, the people. It's just impossible. That would be betrayal. Betrayal my human decency and the constitution of Ukraine. So, I couldn't uh do that. Well, and and that's it. That's it. And then and they put the Russians constantly pushed

information that I wasn't there, then that I was spotted at the border, then that I was seen uh somewhere else, then in other countries, and all of that forced me to go out into the street all the time. Two, three times a day I made a decision to constantly communicate, constantly say something to people so people could see that I was in the office on Bankova, that I hadn't fled anywhere, hadn't run away. That was important for the military, too. Later on, with time, the military

uh told me that it meant a lot to them. They stood strong, fought, defended, and liberated Kyiv because they believed they were liberating their capital, their home, and their president, meaning that he didn't abandon us, that he stayed with us. That's what they said. Well, it was my duty. I don't see it as some kind of uh very special choice of mine. I believe that this was the only way I could act. >> Well, were you scared? Because if I you have a nuclear power, one

of the biggest militaries in the world that have 64 miles of military equipment heading towards where you are, and you have them invading also by air, firing missiles cities that you're in and your family are in, you've made the decision you're going to stay. Were you scared? >> Mhm. Scared? Mhm. It's a different feeling. It's not about fear, it's about being well, being laser-focused on what needs to be done right now. We were working at such speed. I can't even tell you. I was just running

around the office. I was running, making decisions, calling leaders. I just had no breaks. I had I don't know dozens of calls with leaders every single day, every hour, every second. I'd run outside, come back, talk to the military, come back. So, I just didn't have time for that. I only realized it all about 20 days into the war. I just realized that something happened, something terrible, and and the speed, you know, when the speed slightly slightly began to shift, you started to realize, my god,

well, this is war. This is and it's without a doubt a horrible war. Yeah, but at first I I was just working. Honestly, uh I have this trait. I don't even think it's just me. People have this trait to pull yourself together when, you you shock. Mhm. People around you are in shock and you see it in their eyes. You see that they, you know, well, they're in shock. And you realize that you need to act right now. Just act. Act every second. Draw conclusions. Kyiv

is blockaded. Open it up. Tell the military, "Open the road. We need food to get in, water, and so on." That is That's what crisis management is. And in tough situations, basically, that's usually how I I act in tough situations. And it's not like I'm uh again, the bravest person. It's just when this kind of thing hits, I see people around me falling apart, you know, falling apart. Well, because it's a terrible war, I pull myself together completely. And only later, relate once you've relaxed, you

realized that a terrible tragedy occurred. A war and and it's just immense grief. Pretty much like that. >> When When did things slow down enough for you to realize the severity and the impact of the tragedy that had taken place and the lives that were lost? Was there a particular moment? >> The first few days, I didn't sleep at all. The first few days we just worked. I was sleeping about, yeah, 15 minutes, sleeping 15 minutes because I had My entire job was communication. I was

talking in circles with every leader, "Deliver this over there. Do that there." We set up flawless [snorts] logistics uh for weapons. We We were able uh I was talking at night with Poland, with Andrzej Duda. There was a warehouse there. We were waking leaders up with meaning in the middle of the night. So, it was Well, it's improper to say this today. You shouldn't treat people like that. But that's how it was. And about 20 days later into the war everything started coming together into some

steps that needed to be taken into some kind of well, like the realization that well a war had begun. War tragedy and we have to move forward. And well, that's about how it was. At first, it was crisis management unblock bring back troops, break the siege of Kyiv, strike back at them and definitely the most crucial things were mm communications food water the population. So, many cities were cut off. It wasn't just the banking system, cards, making sure cards worked. I mean, we're a pretty digitalized

country. So, a lot of things were done. Mm-mm, [clears throat] a lot of things were done in those first weeks. We were faster than the Russians. They broke through quickly toward Kyiv. And once we stopped them at Kyiv, we became much faster in the information space and so on. We shattered their whole their whole wave of disinformation and just broke them down step by step step by step until mm they realized that they lost the capital to us. And and then it became clear that we

had to push harder. Our partners helped. Our partners realized that we wouldn't give up and they started helping. That was definitely it. I remember how it happened. >> It is often said that Vladimir Putin believed he would be able to take Kyiv in Ukraine in just a number of days and actually captured Russian assault units carried only 3 to 10 days of combat rations alongside formal dress uniforms meant for a victory victory parade. While state media accidentally released a pre-scheduled victory declaration on day three. Although

Putin never never publicly uttered the phrase three days was said sort of time frame himself, there are top Russian state media figures um who openly bragged that the conquest would take only a few days. What is it that they mis underestimated about Ukraine? >> That's right. Exactly what you started with today, that Ukraine is not Russia. That's his problem. Refusing to recognize a separate nation, refusing to recognize a separate country. That's what did him in. He still doesn't understand that he looks at Ukraine as Russia,

as part of Russia. That I'll march in with an army, we'll have hundreds of thousands of men. He'll slam his fist on the table, the president will run away, people will hide, and the Ukrainian flag will be swapped for the Russian flag, and that's it. Three days. We showed a military operation that was supposed to take three days. That's how it is. When our guys hit their tanks and stuff, we found parade uniforms. It's true, they found parade uniforms in their various military vehicles. They were

literally marching to a parade. They specifically wanted to capture Kiev in three days and symbolically hold some well some kind uh regular spectacle uh of pseudo victory on Khreshchatyk, on Independence Square. Well, I mean, that's the most important thing. He still doesn't understand and doesn't want to admit that this is a different nation, a different people. >> Just 12 hours ago Trump weighed in on what he believed happened with Kiev and why Vladimir Putin wasn't able to take Kiev. This is what he said. I'll throw

it up on the screen for the listeners. >> But then it was supposed to be a very much quick, you know, a very quick war. >> Right. >> And if you remember the tanks going up the highway right into Kiev, had the general who was obviously a not a very good general not made a right turn into farmland which was soaked and soaking wet from the heaviest rain in 10 years, they say. >> Mhm. >> He went right up into the mud and it was like

quicksand and those tanks so they got, I guess, I don't know if you call it lucky or >> Not lucky, frankly, cuz it's been 5 years and Ukraine has lost a tremendous You know, Ukraine has lost so many of its men. Number one, had they not taken the right turn onto dirt instead of going up a concrete highway, it would have ended in one day. >> So Trump says that it was a Russian mistake taking a wrong turn that stopped this war being over in a

day. >> No, they surrounded Kiev. They they reached Kiev. They occupied towns on the way to Kiev. Uh some they didn't occupy towns fought back, they bypassed them. No, if someone took a wrong turn, I don't know what President Trump is talking about. It's Overall, it doesn't matter. With all the armor they lost near Kiev, Hostomel and so on. In other words, dozens, hundreds of armored vehicles burned. They just They just trapped us and then we started hammering them and they didn't know what to do

about it because some of their armor breached into Kiev, right into the capital. Armored vehicles drove through the streets and people burned it all down. They were especially shocked when they drove toward the capital and people were just throwing burning debris. I mean, peo- people were setting their armor on fire. It wasn't a matter of some general being an idiot. I believe the one who gave the order just didn't fully realize what was happening, didn't really get what it would take. And [clears throat] that's the

main point. They needed around thousands thousands. I think 3 to 400,000 to take Kyiv. They needed twice as many men. Why? Because taking Kyiv, what does taking Kyiv mean? When you've taken those towns on the on the way to Kyiv, you have to leave troops behind to hold those towns. And that takes a huge number of people. It's a pretty large territory, and you can avoid leaving many troops there only if there's no resistance. But if the people inside offer resistance, then you you need an

army to hold every town. That was their That was their mistake. They didn't estimate, right? Didn't estimate uh they didn't even realize there would be resistance. That's it. That was their main mistake. Um And then then that's it. That's all. For example, if you take uh that operation back in 2014, when they uh went in and seized uh Crimea. Then pardon me, in Crimea there are 3 million people. And Kyiv had 3 million people. Dozens of people entered Crimea. At most hundreds. And here hundreds of

thousands. It's not about the operation. The difference is people defended it, stood up and fought. And the difference is no one fought back. Which is why I said when dozens of people showed up here. Where Trump is right is that if Crimea hadn't been allowed to fall, there would be no war. On this I agree with President Trump. Not because I'm blaming anyone. No, it's just that dozens of people went into Crimea, dozens. For a country like this, that's zero, that's nothing. We handled hundreds of

thousands. >> [clears throat] >> Here here here's what happened. And if they'd been smacked in the head back then, uh the Russians, those people wearing uniforms, meaning the Russians would have even said, "Hey, that's They were already say saying that's not our army. Look at the uniforms. You can't tell us the Russian army." And if they'd been hit back then, well, it wouldn't have happened. Well, at least there wouldn't have been a chance of a full-scale war. Why? Because Putin would have known there would be

a blow. There would be a response. But what was his mistake here? First of all, when he saw how Crime- Crimea was seized so easily, so easily, that's why he thought he could seize Kyiv just as easily. That was his experience. >> And there's quite a famous battle that took place um to secure the Antonov Airport. >> Hostomel. Uh Hostomel Antonov. That's what I just told you. That's a battle There's a terrible battle in Hostomel. A brutal battle. The airport in Hostomel. >> Can you explain

that to me? Um because I I watched a documentary on this a couple of months ago, and it feels like it was a really pivotal moment in defending Kyiv. What were Russia trying to do? Where is this >> when they land for them it was crucial to seize the airports. Hostomel is one of uh the airports where a massive landing force could could land and so on. So, here's how a takeover works. Block Kyiv, capture the airports, basically TV towers, and so forth. In other words,

seize information, logistics, and cut off supplies of food, weapons, and so on. That that's base basically the plan and you need the leader to to run because no leader means chaos, no chain of command. That's what they were doing. There was a terrible battle in Hostomel. Our people burned them there and they had very tough combat units. They couldn't uh land a large force there. They were destroyed. Uh Hostomel was taken back. Uh our troops controlled it. That was one of the striking battles, a terrible

battle, one of the most striking battles. So, we did everything possible not to let them capture us and seize our logistics. >> They they flew in with paratroopers. So, they parachuted people into that airport to try and claim it and they originally did seize the airport. >> That's right. >> And then there was an immediate counterattack where Ukrainian National Guard units and special forces >> Yes. Our National Guard. >> You shelled and destroyed the runway yourself. You destroyed your own runway while air defense units forces

shot down several Russian transport helicopters. And from what I understood, that you know, you took the air port back. They fought You took it back. They fought You took it back. >> right. Hostomel changed hands back and forth. That's how it was. >> And if they had been able to seize that airport, how would that have changed the situation with Kiev, do you think? >> likely They could have They could have taken most of the capital. They could have broken through and captured it. That's true.

That's true. That was an utterly heroic uh battle. >> It When you hear these stories, you realize that the future of Ukraine comes down to both heroism but also several small battles. Some big battles, but also several small moments. When you reflect on that that month, that moment, what are Is there any other sort of small moments that you think really define the future of Ukraine in this regard? >> Well, uh just so you know, um today um places like Hostomel, then further up Moschun, and

several small towns around Kyiv. There was a desperate battle for every single one of those towns. Why the National Guard? Because back then uh the full army couldn't reach it yet. But the National Guard are uh internal troops. So they were there and brought in army units and so on. But nonetheless, that's why it was an utterly heroic battle. There was Bucha. You know, right, that they occupied it. It was terrible. It was a genocide recognized by everyone. They buried hundreds of people. They tortured people.

I mean, tortured them. And hundreds of people were in a mass grave. They found a grave. There were, I believe, around 500 people. Half a thousand people in a grave like that. Just imagine. Hands tied, tortured, and then buried in in in pits. That's what was happening. People seeing all this. Uh this looked nothing like a war. It looked It was definitely pure looting when they occupied those towns on the way to Kyiv and around Kyiv. They de- collect They just went into homes, just killed,

took microwaves, some refrigerators, TVs. They acted like just an Well, I can't even describe it. Well, they're just scavengers. And all these people, they tied their hands, tortured them. There was sexual violence, everything. And they buried people right in the yard, dumped people, and so on. When we liberated those towns, there emerged this, you know, this kind of such hatred for the Russians. Right at that moment. Not even at the moment when they started the full-scale war. Back then, every Nobody understood what it really was

yet. People understood what this war was and what Putin did personally when we found those mass graves of tortured adults, children. I mean, they didn't just kill them. They tortured and killed them. >> Children? >> That's right. That's right. And then you realize that, I mean, just imagine what they went through. Well, there's no no You can't even compare what all these people lived through. Why Bucha is so horrifying and why the Russians immediately started saying, "It's a staged performance. We brought in journalists." The entire

world press was there. They saw the bodies. I deliberately, when we liberated Bucha, I went there. Once I saw it, I said, "Bring every journalist here. Don't touch anything. Just bring the journalists. The whole world simply has to see this." And they brought the journalists. People were literally lying on the pavement. Dead bodies lying everywhere. Kids, adults, elderly people, and so on. Witnesses who had stayed behind in Bucha, an old man, an elderly man. This was a very famous story there. It's one of those moments

you're talking about. This elderly man, he survived the occupation of this town, the town of Bucha, during World War II. And he said the fascists never treated people like that. Yes, they were enemies. Yes, occupiers. But they didn't torture people like that. This is absolute reality. And this there are testimonies, there's evidence, there are criminal cases. And how after all this we it's just that it was already a long time ago, in the first year of the full-scale war. And sometimes people need to be reminded.

When you see a mass today finding a grave in the US or in Britain, God forbid, with 500 tortured people, adults, kids, dogs, animals shot dead. I mean, they held hunting sprees there. From military vehicles, people were running, they were shooting, just hunting, playing games. The whole time they were blockading Kyiv right up until the moment we liberated it they there were people in those villages and so on. They literally just played with people. Like slavery. Imagine that. So, how how after this can you listen

to Putin and how how after this can you forgive? And that's why when President Trump says we need to find a compromise, and believe me, this we live with this. A ceasefire. And sitting down at the negotiating table, there's a huge compromise. It is a huge compromise. Nobody can step into the shoes of all these people and their relatives whose children were tortured. Nobody Nobody wants to forgive them for anything. Nobody wants to forgive anything. And you can't force people to forgive. How can you force

them when their child was tortured? How do you forgive? Well, it's impossible, but that's why we say a ceasefire is the only step because people have such hatred, it it's not going away. It that hatred isn't going anywhere. It takes time and justice. And that's why it's a huge compromise. I've always really wanted I I've tried many times to tell the president of the United States, just understand us. This is a huge compromise. Just to hold the lines where we are. That to stop Well, look,

that's what it feels like. >> What was your hardest day through the last 4 years? What's the day that you know, will live long in your your brain, your mind, your memory? >> Bucha, what I just told you, that was a terrible day because I stood there. I had never seen people's bodies just scattered on the on the street in my entire life. I had simply seen anything like that in my life. Uh and after that, everything changed completely. And once again, everything changed in life.

>> Everything has changed. >> Uh absolutely. >> In what way? >> Well, you want you want revenge. Uh I had never had it where I couldn't forgive someone. And by and large, I think people make mistakes. This This is about something else, evil like that, you know? A devil like that. Just came in like that, did that to people. Like like chopped meat. Butchered them, you know? I mean, that's what it looks like. And you just can't fathom how that's possible and you want to find

these people who aren't human. You want to find them and you want to you just want to you want to kill them. I mean, I had never wanted to kill a single human being. I had never felt anything like that. >> [clears throat] >> Pure revenge. With time you can't forget that and in moments like this and our conversation brings back moments like that. And you have to be president and you have to calm down and be more how to put it uh diplomatic. [snorts] Yeah,

well, you can't forgive just forgive everything like that and say well sorry, that's putting a powerful country. Let's just forget everything. Let's forgive everything. And somehow well, we'll buy and sell gas or diesel or whatever. That's difficult. You understand? >> Do you ever worry about how this experience has changed you? Because you have been irreversibly changed by this. I can tell both from meeting you and looking at how you used to be three, four, five years ago. You've been irreversibly changed. And you're a father and

you're a husband and at some point this war will be over, you know God God willing. But do you do do you ever think about how you're irreversibly changed? >> You can't bring it back. It's just it's two different worlds. A reevaluation of values. My only dream is to end this war. I desperately want justice. I just really want I know so many people had their hearts ripped out and there won't be a new heart. You have to give them at least something. So, some trial,

some justice, you know, at least some moral solace is an absolute must. You can't just leave it because that hole inside them, it won't heal. And there will be revenge like I told you. And and the revenge of so many people who lost everything, that naturally brings uh risks of some kind of ongoing military or combat actions, you know, and so forth. So, it's not that simple. It doesn't just end like that. Why do we talk talk about a just peace? Some people ask, "Well, what

is a just peace?" Well, somehow there has to be justice. The guilty must be punished. At the very least you have to show a path that it will happen. Maybe not right now, but that it will happen. It's just totally impossible to simply forgive. And and that and you realize that you want to be with your kids, with your wife. Generally, you just want to end the war and get a little bit of a life. >> But if if I asked Elena, your wife, how you

have changed on a human level because of all of this, what might she say to me? >> I don't know. She'd definitely say I've changed a lot. Yeah, she tells me sometimes. Yeah well. >> What is she saying? >> Well, you know how it is. >> [sighs and gasps] >> She focuses on different things, you know, different values. You just want somehow. You want to hold on to something. The the people close to you. You really crave that warmth. You want to break through this In

a war you fight and you're lonely, you know? In life before this war you're definitely not lonely because you have friends, company, business, then maybe politics. But you're not lonely. I I run a country and and this is about something completely different right now. But when you hug your family, it's just like that. Well, it means Well, it means there are people who love you. It matters. >> Do you miss them? >> Very much. Very much. Pointless sentimentality. Maybe that's it. Stop. That's how it is.

Years have passed, you know? Between this and this, years, years, years. I really I miss them constantly. And it feels like that even when they're right next to me. It's just this habit. This habit of doing work and focusing exclusively on work. Even when they're near I miss them sometimes. Meaning Well, again, I don't like to complain and I'm not complaining. I chose my own path and of course I didn't choose the war, but I chose this path. Well, this war. It fell on my my

lifetime and on the lifetime of our generation. >> Yeah. [clears throat] >> Beautiful wife and beautiful kids. >> [laughter] >> And your daughter is um >> Yeah. >> Your daughter, she's not a child anymore. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, that. >> They've all grown up in the last four four years. She's a young lady now. >> Very much so. She really has, yeah, grown up. Yes, and all the children of Ukraine, and it's true. I've said this, the children of Ukraine grew up during the war.

Totally true. They are all so grown up, and it's so sad that childhood pa- pa- passed during a war. Well, but nonetheless, we believe in peace. Peace will prevail anyway, 100%. And the dog my daughter and I are really great friends. She's grown up now. And well, her English is better. >> Do you get to spend a lot of time with the kids? >> When there's time, I I try to be with them, to call. We talk. These days, there are plenty of options. We talk

online. We talk in different ways. That's how it is. >> Is it Is it possible You know, I I gosh. I um I've spent since I was 18 years old been running businesses, and you know, running a startup I you know, I thought you know, it was a was was a challenge, but it is incomparable from You know, and I say this because I think about how that pulled me away from the people in my life, my relationships, being so obsessed with business. But it's just

totally incomparable to think about what that must be like to try and maintain those important relationships, especially with children, when your country is being invaded, and you are the leader of that country. I I I almost can't fathom how you can find moments of presence with them, like true presence. I understand how one might be able to like fake presence for a short period of time, but true sort of intellectual presence I Is it Is it possible? Differently, but differently now, absolutely. But yes, that presence

matters. And those moments you mentioned, you've been in business since you were 18, and some I imagine of your relationships become secondary probably, while business always consumes your whole life. Well, at least it was that way for me. And this reevaluation from this war and these images and these horrific moments definitely shows me that business is secondary. Everything is secondary. These people right here. That's what matters most. Now, that you can't get back. These years slip away, and in these intense moments you remember these people.

It's important. >> And your wife, Elena, has been your rock through it all, I've heard you say. She's been your stability throughout all of this. All of these crazy, crazy times. >> Well, we support each other. That's true. We um we I think that I have a very um smart uh wife, and she's so real. We have real We have real feelings. We We have love and respect and respect. I think that's very important. Um to respect each other. And you know, how should I put

it? People should find each other interesting. I think that's the most important thing. People need to find each other interesting. Yeah, and we find each other very interesting. We feel good. We feel very good. >> The other um very important woman in your life your parents are still here. But your mother >> Yeah. >> I heard she calls you uh almost every day. Still. >> Every single day. >> Every day. Every single day. >> Every day. >> Really? Where does she She's living in Ukraine still?

When your mother calls you, what does she say every day? What is she asking you? >> Her first question is did did did you actually pick up? >> [laughter] >> She's already like that because I so often she I look God, 12 missed calls. Mom, I'm working. I tell her 12 calls. How can you call someone so many times? And she keeps dialing. She'll call you all day long until I pick up. So, we make sure to speak once a day. She asks how I'm feeling.

>> And is she worried about you? >> Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. How are you? How are you feeling? How are the kids? Tell me. Right? When is um Putin going to uh end the war? And I say, "Mom, we're doing everything we can." >> And as things stand at the moment, for the people don't understand what's actually going on in the ground on the ground in Ukraine, where the Russian troops currently are, what life is like on a day-to-day basis if you're a Ukrainian, can you

explain to me which parts of Ukraine are currently occupied and generally what life is like for Ukrainians at the moment? >> Um occupied Um occupied was Crimea. Then they took the Azov. That's an inland uh sea of ours. And and the that's our sea. They made it Yes, they turned it into an inland sea. They took Mariupol. They took Mariupol. They took Berdiansk. All of the Azov. Kerch is a city on the Black Sea. They made it so we can't get out. Next day, Oleshky is

where right now uh people and children are trapped without food, without anything. They won't let them through. Right now we are working to unblock it. There were 2,500 people left. Kherson, we fought to take back the major city of Kherson. We reclaimed it. Uh Kherson is split by the Dnipro River. Our people live on one bank, the enemy is on the other bank, and that's why they shell Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. She's also under under our control. So they took Crimea, Donetsk region, uh Luhansk region. They

couldn't take like uh you can call it Kyiv, Kherson. This part This part is ours. So upside the map is just upside down. Uh from Kharkiv here. This is what they call Luhansk Oblast. Right here. This is our Kramatorsk like this right here. They took Yenakiieve, they took Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast. Right here. Zaporizhzhia is ours. So basically people can see that all of this is all of this is This is roughly roughly, sorry, I'm not very good at drawing. Uh all of this is all of

this is roughly 18 18 to 19 percent of our territory. That's roughly roughly it. Roughly. Because >> [clears throat] >> their maps are wanting to be honest, they sell uh one story to their people. People we have different maps, we believe we're right. Well, naturally they have their own their own approach to talking with society and presenting information, but roughly that's what it is. >> And they're attacking via missiles and drones other parts of Ukraine constantly, right? >> Completely. Yes. Yes. See, they're focused on Well,

honestly, you could point everywhere here. They've already started today. Right here, they killed people in Lutsk. That's the western part of our country. Right here, a missile struck. And they're hitting Kyiv. Uh Pryluky, right here. We went with the British secretary, saw 23 people killed. Zhytomyr is under constant shelling. Uh Well, Rivne has fewer strikes. Uh Lviv this part fewer strikes here. This part to be honest, all of this part is far away from uh the line of occupation, from the contact line, and from the

Russian Federation. So, obviously, the distance is great, which is why there are no massive strikes there. Yes. Well, that's roughly it. >> What are they trying to accomplish? >> Odessa is being shelled. Dniprolive. What do they want to pull out of out of the east of our country so that Putin And the east is Here's what he wants. He wants basically he wants to take the city of Zaporizhzhia, but he can't. That's a target for him. Zaporizhzhia and Kherson and Mykolaiv all targets, but he doesn't

say that. He doesn't say it, but after all, we liberated those cities. We liberated Kherson. And >> But have you heard directly from them >> Right. So, >> as to what their demands are, what they say that they want to to stop launching missiles? >> Yes. They basically say right here, this entire piece >> They want to take pretty much the the east of Ukraine. >> Yes, the east. That means they want uh Sloviansk. Well, these are key. Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, uh Druzhkivka. And that leads right

out into the Dnipropetrovsk region into uh Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk. These are the most Kryvyi Rih is my hometown. Nikopol is an industrial hub, an engineering hub, a manufacturing hub. It's the economy uh of our country. And so, it's very dangerous because if you surrender this part to them, and this is This is heavily reinforced defense of our nation right here. Like this. And if we hand these cities of ours over to them, then the risk is huge. If he wants to keep going, he could seize a

huge number of our cities if he pushes further. And the risk is real. Nobody guarantees anything, you understand? Everyone talks about security guarantees. And we're open. We're completely open to that. We say, "Well, okay, security guarantees. Let's do NATO." Well, NATO, you know, the Russians. Well, again, they keep sending signals to the Russians because you have to give security guarantees. On top of that, like I told you, the biggest compromise with so many dead, the biggest compromise we're already making is a ceasefire. Let's just stop

this war. But they want us to pull out even further. And if we pull out, where are the security guarantees? Aside from the fact that it's unfair. >> You know, you talked about the barbaric nature of how they've treated Ukrainians. Are you at all concerned that they might escalate using more horrific weapons like nuclear weapons at any point? Has that ever crossed your mind? >> Well, it crosses everyone's mind after what they've done that they might do something worse. But as of today, well, I don't

think they'll take the risk of using nuclear weapons because then I think they won't have definitely. I'm sure they won't have any allies left, including countries like America, China. Well, excuse me, but that that's far too dangerous even for nuclear powers. That means if one country can do it, then if there's a conflict somewhere else on another continent, in another theater, I don't know, the Middle East, whatever. That means if a nuclear weapon is used once, it might be used a second and a third time.

So, I don't think Putin will risk uh nuclear weapons. But then again, we're dealing with Look, we're dealing with a man and with a system that until the end of his days will hold on to him, and he to it. Because only when his life ends will he leave the Kremlin and hand over well, physically hand over, naturally transfer power. I'm more than certain of that. >> Regarding the the current situation this week with with Trump, with Russia, and this deal that's been done. From my

understanding, because there's an energy crisis globally, Trump has now done a deal with Russia for diesel. He then asked you not to attack any energy infrastructure in Russia. >> No. >> Um there's a there's a video that I actually have here of him describing this, which um a lot of people have have now seen. I'll play it. >> Well, I look at it differently. Zelensky could have settled this war many times. He chooses not to. Very difficult. Uh it's a war that should have never been

started. If our president of the election weren't rigged, I would have been president, and that war would have never started. We said you could do whatever you want to Russia, don't hit the refineries because that's a world problem that's caused. And he wants to make problems for the world. He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranches with uh diesel fuel. It's because Russia supplies a large portion of the diesel fuel throughout the world. And we told him, "Do whatever you want, but don't hit

the diesel fuel cuz there's a big problem, big shortage." And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel. "Do what you want, don't hit refineries." Plenty of target. And he went out and he hit And he's not going to affect our farmers, and he's not going to affect our ranches, and he's not going to affect the rest of the world. So, uh we've He's better than well stop. >> And in that, he says that he thinks the Ukraine needs a new president. >>

No. Um first of all, uh diesel exports have no impact. The volume of diesel exports is so negligible uh from Russia that it has zero impact on prices in the United States of America. That is totally false information. That's first. Second, it makes no sense for us to strike Russia's energy infrastructure. We retaliate cuz cuz they strike our energy infrastructure. We've spoken a lot about this. The Russians hit our energy grid, our people live without power. We don't have oil, gas, diesel, and so on. That

hurts them. What hurts us is electricity. They hit our electricity. We strike back at their diesel. They make money on diesel and spend it on weapons. My offer, excuse me, but I don't need this. I've always told President Trump, "Broker an energy ceasefire. At least on energy. At least let's give people light." And good for the Russians, they'll sell their oil if they want to. If that's what you need. But President Trump can't reach an agreement with Putin on this. Putin refuses him an energy ceasefire.

And so the president decided to pin this problem not on Putin, but on me. Explaining to his people that because of this diesel prices in America are going up. That is completely untrue. And I don't understand. I have a good relationship with him, with Trump. And I think it's wrong and unacceptable that he pins Russia's aggression and Russia's killings on me. He is shifting the context, and that's not fair. And that's why I honestly said, "That's unfair. Ceasefire." He says, "It's not what they can't work

it out." Well, if you can't work it out, but you need diesel. Though again, I think this is just deflecting uh the focus away from Iran, from what's happening in the Middle East. The entire volume is blocked over there. That's exactly where nothing is working out. Energy The Strait of Hormuz is blocked. That's the root of the problem. But everything gets shifted onto us, and I'm made the target as the leader of our country. So I said, "Okay. You can't force Putin to stop the war

and make an energy truce. Give me air defense missiles. I won't fire at anyone. I'll protect our energy sector. So where am I being unfair? In what way? I asked him, "Give us missiles, not for free." Again, not even for free. Europeans are funding [snorts] this, funding all of it. There's an agreement. But he But they won't give them to us. They say we can't. They give and have given everything to the Middle East. Look, it's just kind of Well, it's just like like Well, it's

unfair. To the Middle East uh Patriot missiles uh with Putin, a diesel deal. I'm expected not to respond to an energy attack on inside Ukraine. And diesel prices are rising in America cuz of it's unfair. And you need a different president. Well, diesel prices, I guarantee you 100% diesel prices don't depend on the volume that Russia sells. They just don't. >> And about 76% of Ukrainians say they wouldn't want an election now according to some recent surveys as well. My last question to you, Mr. President,

is is there a realistic path to the end of this war? And what does that look like? A realistic path. >> Trump can bring Putin to the negotiating table very easily. Because he needs to the way he talks about me, President Trump, he needs to adopt that kind of rhetoric about Putin. >> Why do you think he's not >> I don't know. Honestly, I don't know. He's got sanctions on his desk. It wasn't him voting. Congress voted for strong sanctions. He can do it. He could

I don't know why. Maybe they have a special relationship. Maybe something else. I can't tell you. I don't know everything. I can only guess. So some economic deals and so on. An old rela- I don't know. I don't want to >> Well, the midterms are coming up and I think he might be a little bit concerned about energy prices in America. More so than maybe Ukraine. >> [sighs] >> Yeah, well, uh look, diesel prices, I give you a 100% diesel prices don't depend on the volume

Russia sells. They don't. Americans export energy resources. Americans energy exports aren't banned for Americans. American companies export. It's a Why do American companies export energy? Well, because how can the president of the United States ban private sector exports? Well, I don't think he can. And why would he? It sells and money comes in. Well, just Well, you know how. Lifetime, you know, all secrets, all mysteries always come to light. It just takes time. Time is definitely on the side of those who are open and ready

for honest dialogue and fight. Yes, which means time will be on our side. >> What are your last words? To our audience, you know. >> I hope that it's not last words. >> [laughter] >> Last words for today. Last words today, you know, half of our audience are in America. >> I wish America, which finds itself in a very tough situation, I believe because the world has gone crazy. What's happening with the Russians, with Iran, the fact that people want blood, people want wars. I wish

America would stay a great nation, be strong, be peaceful, have the chance someone works, someone wants to be home with the kids, pray, have a family, a >> [gasps] >> family dinner. I wish America tranquility, peace, and we're grateful for everything America has done for Ukraine. We won't forget this. >> President, thank you so much. Thank you so much. >> much. >> I know you've had a really rough week and it's been very tough, so I really appreciate you taking the time. I've had everything going

on with Starlink and the internet and all the challenges. So >> Normal. >> Yeah. >> Thank you so much. >> And we really do wish you the best. We really wish you the best, okay? >> Yes, and I was happy to hear to see you and to have a dialogue. We had good dialogue, I think. I think we spoke very good. So thank you so much. >> Thank you so much. >> All the best. >> best. Thank you so much. >> Thank you so much. >>

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