In her first televised solo interview since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly 100 days ago, Ukraine’s first lady urged Americans to “not get used to this war.”


What You Need To Know

  • In her first televised solo interview since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly 100 days ago, Ukraine’s first lady urged Americans to “not get used to this war"

  • “Otherwise, we are risking a never-ending war,” Olena Zelenska told ABC News in an interview that aired Thursday. “Don't get used to our pain.”

  • At one point, the interview was interrupted by an air raid siren

  • Zelenska said she’s “proud” the world has been able to see the “true identity” of her husband, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

“Otherwise, we are risking a never-ending war and this is not something we would like to have,” Olena Zelenska told ABC News in an interview that aired Thursday. “Don't get used to our pain.”

At one point, the interview was interrupted by an air raid siren.

When the war might end is a question Zelenska said her 9-year-old son keeps asking her. 

"Unfortunately, I don't think any Ukrainian would be able to answer that question," Zelenska said.

She said she’s “proud” the world has been able to see the “true identity” of her husband, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

The first lady and her two children have been in hiding and separated from Zelenskyy since the war began and have only spoken by phone to one another, she said.

Ukrainian soldiers have defied expectations in their fight against Russia, most notably by protecting the capital of Kyiv, which forced the Kremlin to refocus its efforts on eastern Ukraine. 

Some, including former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, have suggested Ukraine should be prepared to surrender some territory to Russia in order to reach a peace deal.

Zelenska said she doesn’t see that as a real option.

"You just can't concede ... parts of your territory,” she said. “It's like conceding a freedom. Even if we would consider territories, the aggressor would not stop at that. He would continue pressing. He would continue launching more and more steps forward, more and more attacks against our territory.”

Zelenska said she is launching a program to provide mental health support for Ukrainians who have been impacted by the war. 

"The medical institutions and medical system as we have it right now, it might simply be not enough to cover all the needs," she said. "That's why we need to be prepared."

For example, she said she was told of two boys who witnessed their mother being killed and then had to bury her.

"We need to help people to live that through,” Zelenska said. “We need to help people psychologically, mentally, in whatever ways possible.”

-

Facebook Twitter