Kyiv, Ucrania (CNN) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his American counterpart Joe Biden to deliver a strong and “useful” message on the invasion of russia in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, in an exclusive interview with CNN and Archyde.com from the Kyiv bunker where he is leading his army’s response.
In the interview on Tuesday followingnoon, Zelensky said that as long as Moscow’s attacks on Ukrainian cities continued, little progress might be made in the talks between the two nations.
“First you have to talk. Everybody has to stop fighting and come back to that point from where it started five or six days ago,” Zelensky said. “I think there are main things you can do… If you do this, and that side does this, it means they’re ready for peace. If (they’re not) ready, it means you’re just wasting your time.”
Asked if he felt Ukraine was wasting time talking to Russia, he said: “We’ll see.” Officials from the two countries met for the first time on Monday since Russia’s invasion began last week.
Praise for Zelensky for his role in Ukraine
Zelensky has drawn global praise for his response to the invasion, having rejected offers of evacuation and instead delivering frequent messages to Ukrainians while Kyiv is attacked by Russia.
Earlier on Tuesday he received a standing ovation for an emotional speech to the European Parliament via video link, telling delegates: “We are fighting for our lives.”
Asked by CNN regarding his transformation from comic actor to world-famous wartime leader, Zelensky replied, “It’s very serious, it’s not a movie… I’m not iconic, I think Ukraine is iconic.”
“Ukraine is the heart of Europe, and now I think that Europe sees Ukraine as something special for this world,” he added. “That is why [el] The world can’t lose this special something.
Fresh attacks rocked Kyiv on Tuesday, with Russia stepping up its assault on the capital and other key locations. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, it is feared that Russia is attempting to bring down the city’s communications infrastructure following attacking an area near the Kyiv TV tower, taking out transmission hardware.
The Ukrainian leader seemed tired and stressed, but was friendly with the CNN and Archyde.com teams. He said that he had not seen his family in three days. When asked what his typical days are like, he said, “Work and sleep.”
