Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talked about what it will take to maintain Ukrainian independence, his soldiers’ morale, and the country’s next presidential election in an exclusive video interview with German media house Axel Springer.
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00:00 If I can give you my personal impression, and I have been to Ukraine in the past few years more
00:06 than to Germany or anywhere else. I spent many months here with our team, met many people and
00:12 reported a lot. But my feeling is that there's more and more pessimistic people about the goal
00:22 of taking back the whole territory. I understand. My feeling is many Ukrainians don't believe anymore
00:29 what you are saying, that you will take back whole Ukraine. This is the goal. This is the justice
00:36 to take all our territory. I'm not speaking that all the territory with a weapon, like I said to
00:43 you. I think it's a long way. But I don't want to be very optimistic, but I have to be very realistic.
00:52 If we have to save independent Ukraine, democratic Ukraine, like a part of Europe, of future EU,
01:06 doesn't matter, like nation. If we want to save it, we need to get back our independence. It's
01:15 not only territory. It's also the circumstances when people can come back. It means that all the
01:25 investors and world business has to believe in Ukraine to the future. That means without any
01:34 frozen conflicts. But if this, Mr. President, if this doesn't work, and if another counter offensive
01:40 fails, and you can't take back the land, when is the time for you to sit down with Vladimir Putin
01:46 to negotiate? But we prepared very concrete plan for diplomatic negotiating with the first inaugural
01:58 one will be in Switzerland. But without Russia? Of course, without Russia, because we don't need
02:05 them to block anything. But how can you go? I will tell you, I will tell you, we will prepare a plan.
02:12 And I think that some of the points will be ready with details what to do in the first,
02:20 even in the first summit with the most volume of the country, the most number of the countries
02:26 of the world. And after that, we will prepare all the plan. And of course, some negotiators,
02:33 some representatives of continents will represent this plan, will propose this plan
02:40 to Russian representatives. But only after we will have our joint common opinion,
02:47 common opinion of the countries who really want peace. The past months, you always said you would
02:55 never sit down with Vladimir Putin. Since the war started, you said, there's no way I'm sitting on
03:02 one table because he's a killer. And he killed a lot of our people. If it's about negotiation
03:10 on the platform of peace summit, I think we will find infrastructure or we will find some
03:16 possibilities for negotiate with some representatives, some or another.
03:22 There is not only problems with weapons at the front, there's also a problem with mobilization.
03:30 When I talked to soldiers at the front and we visited many positions in Abdiyevka and other
03:35 areas in Bahmut, they told us we've been here for two years or even longer. How is it possible that
03:42 people in Kiev or Lviv enjoying their life and are not here at the front? Is it possible to force
03:50 people to go to the front line? No, it's not about the force. It's not right word. Yeah, I mean that
03:59 we have mobilization from the first days of the war. And of course, Parliament is prolonging
04:06 this mobilization every three months. There are some changes to the law which are now in Parliament
04:15 and I think that the Parliament will vote these changes. Of course, there are soldiers who are
04:22 from the first days. I'm very thankful to them and all of us and their heroes from the first day
04:30 they're on the front line and of course, some of them are tired. We have also to look at the
04:36 situation with Russia, which decided to mobilize 300,000 more people. How many will you mobilize?
04:42 How many do you need to defend? And at the same time, you just said you would organize a new
04:47 counter. I will not share openly what will be the number, but the number will be enough
04:53 to defend our country. Very last question, Mr. President. You've been in power now for almost
05:01 five years. I remember when you were elected in 2019. In May, normally there would have been
05:06 elections. Now during wartime this year, there will be probably no election. How will you call
05:14 yourself after May? Still president or how would you call yourself then? When will it be election?
05:22 The most important that I am still Ukrainian and I think that this is the most important thing.
05:29 And about the presidency, when we can organize, how to say, the re-elections, yes?
05:42 When we can change the law, because today, I think you understand our law, today through our law,
05:51 we can't do it during the war or war period. So I have to stop war period. It means to stop this law.
06:01 It means that in order to organize elections today, we need to change the law.
06:06 And the law about the war period. If we change the military status, then you must understand that it
06:18 will be impossible to protect our country. This is a very big risk. That's all.
06:26 Thank you very much, Mr. President, for your time. Thank you. Thank you.