As the war in Ukraine drags on, the country’s first lady has thanked the United States for its “enormous support” – but also warned Americans not to grow numb to the grim headlines.
“To the people of the United States, do not get used to this war,” Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, told ABC News. “Otherwise, we are risking a never-ending war, and this is not something we would like to have… Don’t get used to our pain.”
It’s been almost four months since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. The war has devastated the country, killing an estimated 4,169 civilians, including 268 children. Reports of alleged Russian atrocities, leaving citizens tortured or executed, have shocked the world.
And there’s no end in sight. Ms Zelenska, who has been in hiding with her children since February, says her nine-year-old son frequently asks when the war will be over.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think any Ukrainian would be able to answer that question,” she says.
Meanwhile, the US and other Western democracies have united in support of Ukraine, providing military equipment and imposing heavy sanctions on Russia’s elite. In her ABC interview, Ms Zelenska thanked the West for its support.
“It’s really important, because you feel you’re not alone,” she said shortly after an air raid siren interrupted the conversation.
In particular, Ms Zelenska said she was moved by Jill Biden’s unannounced visit to the country last month.
“I finally managed to see her face-to-face, and it was a tremendously courageous action that she has made,” Ms Zelenska said. “She came to the country which is at war, and the people of Ukraine, they highly appreciated that.”
The US first lady arrived in Ukraine on Mother’s Day, and presented Ms Zelenska with a bouquet of flowers.
“I thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war has to stop and this war has been brutal and that the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine,” Dr Biden said at the time.
Over the past four months, Ms Zelenska says she’s glad the world has witnessed the courage of Ukraine’s people – particularly its women.
“I always thought that Ukrainian women are the best, and I was really proud of how the Ukrainian women behaved themselves during the war,” she said. “Now, I’m proud of the fact that the whole world has seen the true face of the Ukrainian women.”
Even as the battles grind on, Ms Zelenska says the solution is not to give in to Russian demands.
“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.”
