Zelensky: "Donbas Battle, the Biggest Turning Point... I Believe We Will Endure"

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky forecasted that the full-scale battle with Russian forces taking place in the eastern Donbas region will be "a decisive moment, a turning point if we endure."

In an interview with the U.S. magazine Time published on the 28th (local time), President Zelensky said, "As a citizen, a patriot, and a president, I believe we will endure." Time conducted the interview with President Zelensky on the 19th at the presidential office in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

Regarding the situation in Donbas, President Zelensky said, "It will be larger in scale than any war that has taken place on Ukrainian territory," and predicted, "The Russian forces know this region is crucial, so they will attempt strong acts of destruction."

He also mentioned that he communicates almost daily by phone and text messages with soldiers resisting at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. He expressed an encouraging attitude, saying, "They are not just defending the factory. They are not just defending Mariupol. What they are protecting is symbolic," and added, "They are protecting us from the Russian forces' ambition to break our backbone."

When asked if he regrets entering politics after being a comedian, he replied, "I do not regret it at all. Not even for a second," and said, "I think it was the right decision." Regarding whether he has lost his sense of humor, he said, "That is absolutely impossible," adding that he has become a bit wiser after the war, "As many people have died, as many people have been tortured by Russian forces, I have become wiser."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.