On May 20, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Olena Zelenskaya answered the most burning questions of Ukrainians and media workers. The president of Ukraine answered honestly about the fears. He said that he was sure of victory in the war that the Russian Federation started on 24 February. But Zelenskyy noted that this is not the end and the fighting will be bloody, and brutal. He considers Ukraine’s desire to regain its pride — to return to all the territories that belonged to Ukraine before 2013 to be the most problematic in this war. The problem is that the Russian government does not want to return not only the Crimea (which was annexed in 2013) and the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republic (which were subjected to a terrorist coup in 2014 with the support of Russian forces), but also the refusal to return the territories occupied in 2022.
However, the president of Ukraine stated that he saw only a diplomatic way to end the war. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also told about who he is proud of in this war. He called all Ukrainians an object for his pride. The president noted that ordinary people have already shown what they can do.
The words of the head of state can be confirmed by these examples:
- Queues in the conscription office and reception centers for people in the territorial defense from the first days of the war;
- More than $3 million was raised for the Ukrainian army;
- Shattered reconnaissance machines by household items;
- Acts of sabotage groups in the occupied territories.
Zelenskyy mentioned in the interview the most difficult topic — Azovstal. At the moment, Ukrainian fighters and civilians are leaving the territory of the plant. Next, the military will expect an exchange. According to the president, Ukraine has fulfilled all its obligations. Now the life of Ukrainian soldiers depends on the Red Cross, the United Nations, and the Russian Federation. It is these organizations and the aggressor country that have taken on the responsibility to keep the Ukrainian fighters from Mariupol safe and prepare for the exchange.
