Ukraine's first lady recalls moment she realized her country was at war: LIVE UPDATES
Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska opened up in a recent interview about the early days of Russia's invasion and how her country is trying to move forward. Zelenska said her family continues to give her hope amid the Russian invasion.
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Ukrainian First Lady opens up in interview about first days of invasion and country's path forward
Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska opened up in a recent interview with Vogue about the early days of Russia's invasion and how her country is trying to move forward.
"There had been a lot of talk, everywhere, about a possible invasion," Zelenska, who has been married to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since 2003, said about the first day of the invasion. "But until the last minute it was impossible to believe that this would happen…in the twenty-first century? In the modern world? I woke up, sometime between 4 and 5 a.m., because of a clunk. I didn’t immediately realize it was an explosion. I didn’t understand what it could be. My husband wasn’t in bed. But when I got up, I saw him at once, already dressed, in a suit as usual (this was the last time I’d see him in a suit and a white shirt—from then on it was military). 'It started.' That’s all he said."
When asked about her "mix of personal and civic feelings", Zelenska responded by pointing out what she believes was Russian President Vladimir Putin's "fatal mistake."
"The war immediately combined the personal and public," Zelenska said. "And this is probably the fatal mistake of the tyrant who attacked us. We are all Ukrainians first, and then everything else. He wanted to divide us, to shatter us, to provoke internal confrontation, but it is impossible to do this with Ukrainians. When one of us is tortured, raped, or killed, we feel that we all are being tortured, raped, or killed. We do not need propaganda to feel civic consciousness, and to resist."
Zelenska praised the way that Ukrainian women have responded to the challenges of war and told multiple stories about heroism shown by Ukrainian women who helped save lives while protecting their own children.
Zelenska also reiterated her husband's call for a "no-fly zone" to be established by the international community over Ukraine.
"We asked to close the sky above us so that Ukrainians would not perish. But NATO considered this to be a direct conflict with Russia," Zelenska said. "So, can I say now that Russia alone is to blame for further deaths? Rhetorical question. You ask if this is the right move for the United States. I say—and this is not only true for the United States—give a tough answer to the actions of the aggressor or the aggressor will be encouraged to move."
Zelenska added, "Russia knows that the West will not cover the sky, and this fact encourages it to commit atrocities."
When asked what gives her hope throughout the Russian invasion, Zelenska pointed to her family.
"My family—just like every Ukrainian—and my compatriots: incredible people who organized to help the army and help each other," Zelenska said. "Now all Ukrainians are the army. Everyone does what they can. There are stories about grandmothers who bake bread for the army just because they feel this call. They want to bring victory closer."
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The credit rating agency issued the downgrade to "selective default" late Friday.
&P didn’t expect Russia to be able to convert the rubles into dollars within the 30-day grace period allowed.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was joined in Kyiv by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who vowed additional military assistance in their war with Russia.
The additional 120 armored vehicles and new missile systems, however, is not enough, the Ukrainian president said.
“Of course it’s not enough. Because Russian aggression was not intended to be limited to Ukraine alone," Zelenskyy added. "The entire European project is a target for Russia.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The delegation, led by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and former House Energy and Commerce chairman Fred Upton, R-Mi., will start in Germany, where it will meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The delegation will then travel to Denmark to meet with the Danish defense minister and finance minister to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine.
"We will meet with democratic leaders and NATO allies across eastern Europe to discuss how we can further aid the Ukrainian people to ensure they have the equipment and tools to defeat Putin and his murderous thugs," Upton said ahead of the trip.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., will join the delegation as a senior Republican.
“I look forward to meeting with government and defense leaders in Germany, Denmark, and Poland, speaking with refugees and aid workers at the border, and having the opportunity to thank our U.S. military members serving abroad,” Blunt said.
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