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

Summary

In this interview, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reflects on Russia’s invasion, the human cost of the war, and the prospects for peace.

• The invasion and defense of Kyiv: Zelenskyy says he did not expect a full-scale invasion in February 2022, despite warnings of a possible escalation. He recalls telling his family the war had begun before going to work. As Russian forces advanced toward Kyiv, he rejected offers to evacuate, saying Ukraine needed ammunition, not a ride. He believes staying in the capital reassured Ukrainians and the military that their leadership had not abandoned them. He describes the defense of Kyiv and the battle for Hostomel airport as critical to stopping Russia’s advance.

• Why Russia miscalculated: Zelenskyy argues that Russia expected Ukrainians to submit because it failed to recognize Ukraine as a distinct nation. He rejects the suggestion that a wrong turn or bad weather explains Russia’s failure to take Kyiv, saying the main miscalculation was underestimating Ukrainian resistance and the forces needed to occupy a large, resisting country. He also says Russia’s relatively easy seizure of Crimea in 2014 may have encouraged its later assumptions. In his view, the war began with the occupation of Crimea and parts of Donbas in 2014, even though the full-scale invasion came in 2022.

• History and Russian aims: Zelenskyy frames the invasion as an attempt by Vladimir Putin to restore imperial control over former Soviet territory, especially Ukraine. He describes Ukraine’s independence and European orientation as threats to that ambition. He also rejects Russia’s claim that it invaded to “liberate” Ukraine from fascism, pointing to Ukraine’s own history of Nazi occupation and wartime losses.

• Atrocities and the cost of compromise: Zelenskyy says the discovery of mass graves and evidence of torture in liberated towns, particularly Bucha, changed how he understood the war. He describes seeing the bodies of civilians, including children, and says the experience left him with a desire for revenge that he had never felt before. He argues that a ceasefire and negotiations already require a major compromise from Ukrainians, and that peace cannot mean simply forgetting the crimes. He says accountability and a credible path to justice are necessary for a just and lasting peace.

• The personal toll: Zelenskyy says he sleeps very little, staying in contact with air-defense personnel and responding to immediate needs. He recounts the pain of meeting parents who have lost children and says his own suffering cannot compare with theirs. His children help keep him grounded, while his wife and family provide comfort, though the demands of leadership leave him missing them even when they are nearby. He says the war has changed his priorities and made business and other concerns feel secondary to family and human life.

• Conditions and negotiations now: Zelenskyy estimates that roughly 18–19% of Ukrainian territory is occupied and says Russian forces continue to strike cities far from the front. He says Russia seeks additional territory in the east and warns that withdrawing from heavily defended areas without reliable security guarantees could expose more Ukrainian cities to attack. He considers nuclear use unlikely, while acknowledging that the possibility concerns people.

• Dispute with Trump over energy and responsibility for the war: Responding to Donald Trump’s comments about Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, Zelenskyy says Ukraine’s attacks are retaliation for Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power system. He disputes Trump’s claim that Ukrainian actions are driving U.S. diesel prices and says he has proposed an energy ceasefire. He accuses Trump of placing blame on Ukraine rather than Russia and says the U.S. should provide air-defense missiles if it cannot secure an energy truce. Zelenskyy says Trump could pressure Putin into negotiations and impose stronger sanctions, but he does not know why that has not happened.

Zelenskyy’s closing message to Americans is a wish for peace and stability, alongside gratitude for U.S. support for Ukraine.

Presenters and contributors: Steven Bartlett (interviewer); Volodymyr Zelenskyy (interviewee).