Volodymyr Zelensky (44) has been leading Ukraine through the Russian offensive war for about nine months. In an interview with American moderator David Letterman (75), he dreams of an end to the war – and thinks of holidays. “I just want to go to the sea and have a beer,” says the president, according to Ukrainian media, which saw the interview in advance.
Selenski was interviewed as part of the Netflix production “My Next Guest”. The shooting took place in October in Kiev – in a metro station. However, Ukraine’s elected president in 2019 realizes that the dream of vacation is still a long way off.
Selenski talks about his family
Beer on the beach is only possible after Ukraine’s victory. He makes it clear: “But I’ll be president until we win.”
Selenski recharges his batteries with his family. In the interview with Letterman, he also talks about his wife and children. With them he could breathe deeply. But his children suffer enormously from the war: “My son is nine years old. He knows the names of all the weapons. We all make sacrifices. Our children are sacrificing their youth.”
The end of Putin is the end of the war
The end of the war is not in sight. There are currently no peace negotiations and the situation on the fronts has hardened. It is nevertheless clear to Selenski that a quick end to the war is possible. Suddenly, Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) has to die.
Because according to the president of Ukraine, authoritarian regimes are tailored to one person. “If this person leaves, the institutions will come to a standstill. One of those times was in the Soviet Union. Everything stopped,” says Selenski. If the Russian president were to die, the country would be preoccupied with itself, the Ukrainian president explains.
According to the excerpts from the interview, he was also aware that the risk of Putin using nuclear weapons was low. “He is aware that if he uses them, it will have personal consequences for him,” says Selenski. He also says that Putin loves life too much to take that step. (EU)