In an extended interview for "60 Minutes" (the full interview available here), Ukraine's President Zelensky has given full but frank answers to questions about the state of the war, as well as appealing to the world, effectively, to end it.
Zelensky is on a trip to the US that has already included a meeting with President Biden and his first address in person to the United Nations General Assembly.
A few key statements from Zelensky's CBS interview:
- We're not fiction, we're not a book. We're fighting with a nuclear state that threatens to destroy the world.
- Look, if Ukraine falls, what will happen in 10 years? If the Russians reach Poland, what's next?
- We have the initiative, this is a plus. We stopped the Russian offensive and we moved into a counteroffensive. Despite that it's not very fast.
- [Attacks on Russian territory] are not punitive operations, such as Russia carries out against Ukraine. But Russia needs to know that we have every moral right to respond to attacks from any place. Russia needs to know, "your sky is not as well protected as you believe."
- There is no trust in such a person (Putin) - he has not been a human being for a long time.
- [Purpose of trip] Hoping to convince the world that the world can be safe, only when Ukraine is safe and whole.
Sources: CBS, Twitter, PAP, The Guardian
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