LOS ANGELES (Dagbladet): But Zelenskyj remained. Now he has long since become a heroic figure for most of the world. While Russian forces are hammering away, he is leading the Ukrainian defense.
– It is important to me that people see that we defend the country, but with a human face. We do not torture people, says Zelensky in a new big interview with the Ukrainian national broadcaster Suspilne.
On Monday, negotiations continued between Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky himself wants to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks.
– We are for peace. No matter how difficult it is, it’s better than war. And even though we hate these soldiers who destroy us and kill our people, we must still sit down and talk if we want peace, Zelenskyj said in the interview.
He believes it must be possible to find compromises through dialogue.
At the same time, he is again trying to put more pressure on NATO, which has so far rejected his demand for the introduction of a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
–
– Tomorrow they must say that they are taking Ukraine into NATO, or say openly: We can not do it now. The truth is that they do not want to go to war with Russia, and therefore they will not take us into the alliance. We are not included in the alliance because they are afraid of Russia, says Zelenskyj.
The man, formerly known as a comedian, chose to stay in Kyiv when Russia attacked. He says he did this against the advice of everyone around him. They advised him to leave Ukraine.
According to Kyiv Independent Zelensky has so far survived more than ten attempts to take his life.
– Everyone said I had to leave quickly. Everyone. I had phone calls or messages every ten to twenty minutes for three days that I had to leave quickly. And that there were people who came after me, and many other things, says Zelenskyj.
Still, he chose to stay. At the beginning of the Russian invasion, he filmed several speeches from a nearby office to prove that he did not want to flee.
In the face of increasing Russian violence, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urges the country’s people to continue the fight against Russian forces.
In a video speech late Monday night, Zelensky called on Ukrainians to do what they can to protect the country. Ha asked for the invaders to be expelled so that “Ukraine survives and we can live with her in freedom and peace.”
–
He referred to the Russian soldiers as “tourists with tanks”. The soldiers are “slaves of Russian propaganda”, which has changed their conscience, the Ukrainian president claimed.
Congenital
“They have never seen thousands of people who are not afraid of them,” he said, referring to an incident in Kherson on Monday. Russian soldiers are said to have opened fire on civilians protesting against the Russian occupation.